Cavedweller Audiobook By Dorothy Allison cover art

Cavedweller

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

Cavedweller

By: Dorothy Allison
Narrated by: Judith West
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $29.95

Buy for $29.95

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

From the author of the "flawless" (The New York Times Book Review) classic Bastard Out of Carolina comes Cavedweller, once again demonstrating Allison's unmatched strengths as a storyteller. Flowing "like a thematic sequel" (The New Yorker) to her first novel, Cavedweller tackles questions of forgiveness, mother-daughter bonds, and the strength of the human spirit.

When Delia Byrd packs up her old Datsun and her daughter Cissy and gets on the Santa Monica Freeway heading south and east, she is leaving everything she has known for 10 years: the tinsel glitter of the rock 'n' roll world; her dreams of singing and songwriting; and a life lived on credit cards and whiskey with a man who made promises he couldn't keep. Delia Byrd is going back to Cayro, Georgia, to reclaim her life - and the two daughters she left behind....

Told in the incantatory voice of one of America's most eloquent storytellers, Cavedweller is a sweeping novel of the human spirit, the lost and hidden recesses of the heart, and the place where violence and redemption intersect.

©1998 Dorothy Allison (P)2020 Audible, Inc. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Fiction Heartfelt
All stars
Most relevant  
The writing of this book (as with all Dorothy Allison books) is impeccable. Her characters feel so real that you can't help relate to Delia as she tries to put her life on track, can't help sympathize with Cissy as she learns to adjust to the constant changes of life. It's a heart-wrenching novel, one that perfectly captures life for anyone who did not have a perfect home life. Don't let the haters stop you from enjoying it; it's a wonderful and moving story told by the greatest author I've had the pleasure to read.

Unapologetically real

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The character and place descriptions were detailed and well done. The relationships were intricate and complex. So much so that there was very little plot and I found myself plodding through it. Not my cup of tea.

Too much character, not enough plot.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.