“The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel is a sweeping prehistoric novel that follows Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon girl orphaned by an earthquake and taken in by a group of Neanderthals known as the Clan. Though she struggles to fit into their rigid and traditional society, Ayla’s intelligence, curiosity, and independence set her apart—both as a threat and a wonder to those around her. As she grows, she challenges the Clan’s customs and expectations, especially through her relationships with the clan’s spiritual leader and his ambitious son. Rich in anthropological detail and emotional depth, the novel is a story of survival, identity, and the clash of cultures in a distant, ancient world.”
The idea of having the majority of the characters in this book be a clan of Neanderthals, with modern-day (in a biological sense) humans in the minority, is so unique and interesting—it’s what instantly drew me to this book. Sadly, we do not know a whole lot about Neanderthals; they aren’t here in their 100% form to tell their story, so we have to rely on science for that. The author did an incredible amount of research, which I’ll get to later, but it effectively gives Neanderthals a voice.
Now, let’s talk about Ayla, our main character and the human character in the modern sense of the word. She is almost like a chosen one character, even though this is a historical fiction novel and not fantasy or sci-fi. Exceptions are constantly being made for her, and traditions are being changed just for her, which makes the stakes never feel too high.
I mentioned the research and the level of detail that was put into this book, and I think that really detracted from character development and attachment. While Ayla does develop as a character, she ultimately lacks that connection, and I believe it falls back on the information dumping that was present in the book.
I also want to talk about the age chosen for Ayla. When Isa finds her, she is a five-year-old girl, and I completely understand having her be that age because children can absorb languages and customs much easier than adults, and they don’t question things as much. That makes total sense for her character. However, some of the plot points introduced as the story progressed were very uncomfortable to envision as a reader. I think the author should have waited until Ayla was older to include these elements because, while they may make sense for the story in terms of why this character might do something, they can be disturbing. Even if these events are historically accurate for characters of this age, it’s uncomfortable to read about. It’s likely meant to be uncomfortable, but I wanted to note that in my review.
The atmosphere in this book was fantastic. I keep mentioning the info dumping, but the world-building is extensive. This makes sense, as this is the start of a series, and I’m sure it will taper down a bit as the series progresses. I will admit that it did get a bit much at times, but it does a great job of painting a vivid picture of this world in your mind. I love exploring this culture, seeing their beliefs, and how these could evolve into our modern religions and other cultural beliefs.
Again, this is historical fiction, so none of this may be true, but I read this for entertainment purposes and allow authors creative license with their works. The story takes place in modern-day Eurasia, but tens of thousands of years ago. This is a land that does exist in our world, but because it’s set so long ago, the author really has to build it up and make it believable—and she did a great job with that.
The writing is where I’m having a hard time figuring out how I feel about it. There is so much information being thrown at us that it often lost my attention. It would go over my head, and I found myself having to reread passages several times to understand what the author was trying to convey and to log all this information in my mind. Personally, this made it a pain to read, and the chapters were so long that I was hesitant to pick up the book. There were definitely pacing issues, and while I think the world-building and information were important for the story, I feel that the author went a bit over the top, wanting to include every bit of research she did in the book.
As for the characters, I do think the info dumping detracted from the plot, which I found to be overall pretty boring. The story revolves around a girl trying to fit into society, and it mostly depicts the day-to-day life of the people in this world. Regarding character work, I mentioned that the stakes were never high because everything always worked out for her. Let me tell you, pretty much every single prediction I made for this book came true. This is one of the most predictable books I’ve ever read, and while I didn’t take away much from my experience, it’s still surprising to me that I was able to figure everything out so easily.
Again, I want to give this book high praise for the research that was put into it. I didn’t read the acknowledgments before diving into the book; in the physical copy, they come first, while in the audiobook, they’re at the very end. So, I didn’t know if the author had just imagined the vibes and feelings of how stereotypical cave people lived or if she actually did extensive research. It turns out she did a lot of research—so much so that she spent a night in a cave at Mount Hood, sleeping in a bed that ancient humans would have used in the middle of January. That’s an incredible commitment to research for a novel, and I give her high praise for that.
I’m not rushing to pick up the next book in the series, but I’m not opposed to continuing it. I just don’t feel an urgent need to do so. However, if anything I mentioned here sounds intriguing to you, I would recommend giving the book a try.
3.25 out of 5 stars.
Izzy Reads 