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chalicotherex's review against another edition
5.0
The thing I really like about Davidson is that he makes exciting the parts of Canada we think of as boring.
motherhorror's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, I love this book so much and it surprises me because it's full of all of this typical "man stuff". Prison, a childhood friendship between boys, wrestling, fighting, dog races, women, boxing, blood--just a lot of situations and circumstances that if you told me exactly what this book was about, I'd probably not be interested...
But...
I love this book. The writing blew me away. I was so completely and wholly invested in the lives of the two main characters, I felt like they were real. The City, Niagara Falls, felt real (to me-I've never been there but I feel like I have now) Davidson literally transported me into this place--this hard, unforgiving City and then he dropped me right down into a story that would unfold over decades.
Part One was that friendship between boys I mentioned. Dunk (Duncan Diggs) and Owe (Owen Stuckey). I'm pretty sure there is a lot of symbolism in those names too: Dig/Stuck. I seriously just noticed that. The boys get lost out in the woods and I could have stayed there forever, reading Craig Davidson's amazingly detailed descriptions of the environment and building character into those boys. I loved that part. It reminded me of what I loved about Stephen King's story The Body. That "coming of age" tale we can all relate with but told within the framework of some danger--a threat.
Part Two brought in a woman. Ed (Edwina). The boys are teens and they find these greyhound dogs that they raise up and one of them ends up racing their dog at the tracks. I enjoyed this part to--it was a different stage of life and at this point, I'm falling in love with Dunk. Edwina is interesting too, she adds a much needed softness to the lives of the boys. (and complicates things nicely)
Part Three was so full of tension for me, I felt sick sometimes when I was reading it. I don't like animals getting hurt and there was a dog fight in this section so I sorta skimmed over it. I read the parts about boxing though, even though it made me ill. I hate watching men clobber each other--taking punches in the face--WTF is wrong with guys that makes them want to do this?? It makes me feel like men are aliens. Davidson is REALLY good at the boxing descriptions (I learned he used to box so this section is definitely his wheelhouse) VERY detailed. I was audibly groaning.
Also, we get to know some important things that were brought up in Part One but not developed--I knew they would come later and this was the "later".
Finally, the end. I loved this part. It was this beautiful full circle that Davidson crafted for the reader and it felt right. Although if I'm honest, I was going to be PISSED if something happened that I didn't want to happen--but thankfully, Davidson spared me. Yay for that. The wrap up on this book felt very Dennis LeHane(ish) to me which was awesome because you know how I love him. There was a changing narrative that shifted between Dunk and Owe and it's weird because I can't tell you who I loved more-I loved them both and loved being in their heads. I'm glad we ended with Owe. It was a beautiful closing narrative and now, just sort of typing this out, I feel like crying over that ending. It really was great and I'm sad that this read is over.
But...
I love this book. The writing blew me away. I was so completely and wholly invested in the lives of the two main characters, I felt like they were real. The City, Niagara Falls, felt real (to me-I've never been there but I feel like I have now) Davidson literally transported me into this place--this hard, unforgiving City and then he dropped me right down into a story that would unfold over decades.
Part One was that friendship between boys I mentioned. Dunk (Duncan Diggs) and Owe (Owen Stuckey). I'm pretty sure there is a lot of symbolism in those names too: Dig/Stuck. I seriously just noticed that. The boys get lost out in the woods and I could have stayed there forever, reading Craig Davidson's amazingly detailed descriptions of the environment and building character into those boys. I loved that part. It reminded me of what I loved about Stephen King's story The Body. That "coming of age" tale we can all relate with but told within the framework of some danger--a threat.
Part Two brought in a woman. Ed (Edwina). The boys are teens and they find these greyhound dogs that they raise up and one of them ends up racing their dog at the tracks. I enjoyed this part to--it was a different stage of life and at this point, I'm falling in love with Dunk. Edwina is interesting too, she adds a much needed softness to the lives of the boys. (and complicates things nicely)
Part Three was so full of tension for me, I felt sick sometimes when I was reading it. I don't like animals getting hurt and there was a dog fight in this section so I sorta skimmed over it. I read the parts about boxing though, even though it made me ill. I hate watching men clobber each other--taking punches in the face--WTF is wrong with guys that makes them want to do this?? It makes me feel like men are aliens. Davidson is REALLY good at the boxing descriptions (I learned he used to box so this section is definitely his wheelhouse) VERY detailed. I was audibly groaning.
Also, we get to know some important things that were brought up in Part One but not developed--I knew they would come later and this was the "later".
Finally, the end. I loved this part. It was this beautiful full circle that Davidson crafted for the reader and it felt right. Although if I'm honest, I was going to be PISSED if something happened that I didn't want to happen--but thankfully, Davidson spared me. Yay for that. The wrap up on this book felt very Dennis LeHane(ish) to me which was awesome because you know how I love him. There was a changing narrative that shifted between Dunk and Owe and it's weird because I can't tell you who I loved more-I loved them both and loved being in their heads. I'm glad we ended with Owe. It was a beautiful closing narrative and now, just sort of typing this out, I feel like crying over that ending. It really was great and I'm sad that this read is over.
clarehitchens's review against another edition
3.0
I'd go 3 1/2 for this if I could. I did really like it, but I feel like I've been bathed in a massive vat of testosterone. Kind of like I've just watched The Deerhunter. The story is well told and vivid, and would make a great movie.
rainierbooks's review
4.0
Cataract City is a strong story of a friendship between men. Owen and Duncan, growing up together in Niagara Falls (Ontario), also called Cataract City. The boys get lost in the woods after their fathers get into a fight with two other locals together with a wrestler named Bruiser Mahoney. There is a woman, a little older than the boys, Ed, who has been with both of them. A greyhound dog named Dolly and a native American smuggler and illegal fight promoter named Lemmie Drinkwater. And there is nature, present in so many Canadian novels I've read this year.
Cataract City makes me curious to read more Canadian and read more Craig Davidson.
Cataract City makes me curious to read more Canadian and read more Craig Davidson.
canadianbookworm's review
4.0
This novel follows two men from boyhood through middle age. The setting is Niagara Falls, Ontario. The story is sometimes told by one man, sometimes by the other. Both boys grew up in Niagara Falls, with their fathers working at the Nabisco factory. Owen Stuckey (Dutchie, then Dutch) had a mother who was a nurse and a father who wanted better and took courses to take himself into a management role at the factory. Duncan Diggs' father worked hard at the factory but had no aspirations for more. The two lived on the same street at first, and became friends through school, both being loners of a sort.
As the book begins, Duncan is getting out of jail after eight years, a term he served after killing another man. Owen comes to pick him up in Kingston and take him home to the Falls. Owen is a cop.
We learn the story of their friendship, their common love for a local wrestler, and the terrible experience they went through as children that both bonded them and forced them apart. Wandering in the woods for days, they were lucky to have survived.
We learned how they found each other's friendship again in their late teens and how, even though they were on different paths, they still found something in each other they needed. We see the circumstances that took Duncan to jail and the role that Owen played in that drama.
And then we find them in the present, with Duncan looking for his lost love, and closure on his prison sentence, with Owen looking for a way to make amends, and gain some closure himself. We learn about friendship and how history repeats itself, and what a man will do when it comes right down to it.
A great story, that I could barely put down.
As the book begins, Duncan is getting out of jail after eight years, a term he served after killing another man. Owen comes to pick him up in Kingston and take him home to the Falls. Owen is a cop.
We learn the story of their friendship, their common love for a local wrestler, and the terrible experience they went through as children that both bonded them and forced them apart. Wandering in the woods for days, they were lucky to have survived.
We learned how they found each other's friendship again in their late teens and how, even though they were on different paths, they still found something in each other they needed. We see the circumstances that took Duncan to jail and the role that Owen played in that drama.
And then we find them in the present, with Duncan looking for his lost love, and closure on his prison sentence, with Owen looking for a way to make amends, and gain some closure himself. We learn about friendship and how history repeats itself, and what a man will do when it comes right down to it.
A great story, that I could barely put down.
evilonion's review
5.0
I received this book form a first reads giveaway -- was I ever lucky! It's a fantastic book, now one of my favourites.
jo_in_bookland's review
4.0
Craig Davidson, also known for his works of horror under the pen name Nick Cutter, writes a gritty tale that takes place in Niagara Falls. Even though this is not horror, there are still plenty of horrific, nail-biting, tense moments.
The two main characters Owen and Duncan face more than their fare share of obstacles in their lives, as kids and adults, and the ugly side of the city rears its head as their tales unfold.
The story spans about 30 years and includes the 80s when the boys are coming of age. Bonus, as I always enjoy references to that decade in books.
The story is a slow burn for a good part of the book, but the last section was very intense and I had a hard time putting it down.
No matter under which name this author writes, you can be sure I'll be reading it!
The two main characters Owen and Duncan face more than their fare share of obstacles in their lives, as kids and adults, and the ugly side of the city rears its head as their tales unfold.
The story spans about 30 years and includes the 80s when the boys are coming of age. Bonus, as I always enjoy references to that decade in books.
The story is a slow burn for a good part of the book, but the last section was very intense and I had a hard time putting it down.
No matter under which name this author writes, you can be sure I'll be reading it!
anndouglas's review
4.0
A novel that reads like a series of (almost stand-alone) novellas told from the perspective of the book's two main characters: Duncan and Owen. The stories are hard-hitting and gritty, but also extremely compelling. Highly recommended.
jooniperd's review
3.0
i just posted this comment in a group and thought it sounded about how i wanted my review to sound...so i am just copying it over here now.
i spend a lot of time questioning the reliability of first-person narratives. but with [b:Cataract City|17671886|Cataract City|Craig Davidson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1382351362s/17671886.jpg|24670873], it was quite a different experience.
i finished the novel last night and while the book was okay, i think i am being harder on it because it's a finalist for the giller prize. the judges are: [a:Jonathan Lethem|6404|Jonathan Lethem|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1378884492p2/6404.jpg], [a:Margaret Atwood|3472|Margaret Atwood|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1282859073p2/3472.jpg] and [a:Esi Edugyan|245590|Esi Edugyan|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1330993142p2/245590.jpg]. that's a serious panel of judges to impress. i felt like i was too aware of the writing the whole way through the read and, i am about to say something really stupid now, it felt like an MFA project. (this is stupid for me to say because i have no idea what this means, really. other than in my mind it's a bit show-offy or tries to push the envelope...just for the sake of pushing the envelope. like, a 'look how clever i am'-type thing. also...i wasn't feeling the authenticity of the story, most of the time.)
i didn't end up feeling manipulated and there were parts of the story i liked a lot...but as a whole...i couldn't get past the writing and just enjoy the story. there were also little editing issues all the way through. i was reading a tree-book and didn't mark it up...but there was one spot where the same phrase was repeated within three (brief) sentences. and then the intro to the story (the first two sentences) were repeated nearly verbatim later in the book. what's up with that?)
also -- would a person who has done hard time (hard time, contemporary era, north american maximum security prison) really call the police 'the fuzz'?
as well...i am feeling slightly uncomfortable that the native characters included in this novel were all caricatures. now, i do recognize that there were a lot of caricatures being portrayed, given the way davidson addressed the city of niagara falls, but i did feel disappointed in how the native characters were portrayed. though [a:Joseph Boyden|88550|Joseph Boyden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1253557607p2/88550.jpg] blurbed the novel...so, there's that... :/ #confused
i spend a lot of time questioning the reliability of first-person narratives. but with [b:Cataract City|17671886|Cataract City|Craig Davidson|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1382351362s/17671886.jpg|24670873], it was quite a different experience.
i finished the novel last night and while the book was okay, i think i am being harder on it because it's a finalist for the giller prize. the judges are: [a:Jonathan Lethem|6404|Jonathan Lethem|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1378884492p2/6404.jpg], [a:Margaret Atwood|3472|Margaret Atwood|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1282859073p2/3472.jpg] and [a:Esi Edugyan|245590|Esi Edugyan|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1330993142p2/245590.jpg]. that's a serious panel of judges to impress. i felt like i was too aware of the writing the whole way through the read and, i am about to say something really stupid now, it felt like an MFA project. (this is stupid for me to say because i have no idea what this means, really. other than in my mind it's a bit show-offy or tries to push the envelope...just for the sake of pushing the envelope. like, a 'look how clever i am'-type thing. also...i wasn't feeling the authenticity of the story, most of the time.)
i didn't end up feeling manipulated and there were parts of the story i liked a lot...but as a whole...i couldn't get past the writing and just enjoy the story. there were also little editing issues all the way through. i was reading a tree-book and didn't mark it up...but there was one spot where the same phrase was repeated within three (brief) sentences. and then the intro to the story (the first two sentences) were repeated nearly verbatim later in the book. what's up with that?)
also -- would a person who has done hard time (hard time, contemporary era, north american maximum security prison) really call the police 'the fuzz'?
as well...i am feeling slightly uncomfortable that the native characters included in this novel were all caricatures. now, i do recognize that there were a lot of caricatures being portrayed, given the way davidson addressed the city of niagara falls, but i did feel disappointed in how the native characters were portrayed. though [a:Joseph Boyden|88550|Joseph Boyden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1253557607p2/88550.jpg] blurbed the novel...so, there's that... :/ #confused
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