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Book Review of Cavedweller

Cavedweller
Cavedweller
Author: Dorothy Allison
Genre: Literature & Fiction
Book Type: Paperback
althea avatar reviewed on + 774 more book reviews


I picked this up after having read Allison's most famous work, Bastard out of Carolina, which was one of the most harrowing emotional reading experiences I have ever had. This book is not nearly so rough to read, but it is still a cutting, insightful and frank exploration of the small-town lives of people often dismissed as "white trash." Not my usual favorite topic, but Allison is an absorbing and talented writer, really able to draw the reader in.
I am STILL impatiently waiting for Allison's promised sci-fi book - an 'excerpt' was published in 1996 which was a truly great story... I don't know if she never finished it, or didn't find a publisher (seems unlikely!)
No fantastic elements in this book, although the main character is a science-fiction fan, and there's enough titles/authors mentioned in the text to send a lot of people in the right direction! (It's not a big part of the story, though.)