Cavedweller

Christian Century, March 10, 1999

Cavedweller. By Dorothy Allison. Dutton, 434 pp., $24.95.

Redemption is the theme of this recent novel--the need for it, the courage it requires, and the time and effort that may be necessary to achieve it. Delia Byrd, lead singer with a rock band, returns to the small Georgia town she left more than ten years earlier, fleeing from her abusive husband. To escape the man who, in his drunken rages, seemed determined to kill her, she also abandoned her two little daughters. These girls, Amanda and Dede, haunt her. Neither success, love or a third daughter, Cece, the child of her rock-star lover, can ease her heart or conscience. The novel tells the story of Delia's determined effort to become a mother to her abandoned girls, now both teenagers. Her redemption involves nursing Clint, the girls' father, through his final illness, regaining the town's respect, establishing a business--and simply persevering. Cavedweller is a large, sprawling novel--a narrative about an entire community. Delia's former mother-in-law is a flint-hearted religious fanatic, but the pastor of the church is understanding and helpful.