Book Review – The Whale in the Cave by Mike Avitabile

Mike Avitabile’s “The Whale in the Cave” is a satirical look at society and individuals who seem to take advantage of others, or individuals who wander through life without taking responsibility for their lives or who are not productive citizens. It also addresses the issue of existentialism, which is where people are free agents who are in control of their choices and actions.

Luke Balena is a 26-year-old who discovers that he is an individual who does his own thing, regardless of society’s expectations of what his role should be. He’s a stoner who can’t hold down a steady job and struggles to get through each day without using. Luke is content that he doesn’t have to make any decisions or think about anything. He lets others do the work and he reaps the benefits.

Wolf, an actor, believes that the world is upside down and therefore no one knows what is happening or why. Luke, who is at a loss about his direction in life, follows Wolf as he seems to have more worldly experience. Wolf decides to go into a vertical cave to find his way to the real world. Concerned for Wolf, Luke chooses to find him and see if he is okay. Little does Luke know, his friend has drowned and is now in the afterlife. Since Luke doesn’t have the same scouting skills, he discovers that he, too, has drowned and believes that real life is just a training ground to prepare for what really matters.

Avitabile is very animated in his writing and in the description of his characters. Many readers will laugh out loud and say, “I know such a person.” Through this story, he presents his thoughts on government corruption and denial of any part in any intrigue.

A couple of issues caught my attention. The first is when Luke decides to accept Wolf’s theory that the universe is upside down, thinking that if he could just find that place he could solve a lot of problems. And since Luke doesn’t have much experience living life or making decisions, he follows Wolf’s ideas.

The other area that gave me some further thought was when Wolf described the “afterlife” as a place where one could do as one pleased free of anger and hate, due to the fact that many things in life that we feel need are just feelings. Looking through this vantage point, we realize that there is much we can do without.

“The Whale in the Cave” by Mike Avitabile is thought-provoking and I recommend that you take your time reading the subplots to absorb all the possibilities of the text. I think this kind of satirical literary fiction will appeal to many.