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Exiles: A Novel

Cary Groner
Spiegel & Grau (2011)
ISBN 9781400069781

Reviewed by Kam Aures for Rebecca’s Reads (08/11)

In Cary Groner’s debut novel, “Exiles,” recently divorced cardiologist Peter Scanlon picks up and moves with his 17-year old daughter Alex to Kathmandu.  They are traveling across the world so that Peter can volunteer in a free health clinic.  He encounters many disturbing things throughout his stay such as lack of medications, terrible diseases, and instances of sex trafficking.  Throughout the course of their time there, Peter and Alex develop relationships with both the natives and also with other workers from other countries.  There is a lot of exploration and much to learn for both of them.

One storyline in the novel focuses on Tibetan Buddhist philosophy. Peter and a Tibetan Buddhist lama discuss their different perspectives on a variety of issues.  It is interesting to see the varying viewpoints.  The author has spent more than fifteen years studying Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and his knowledge of the subject matter is quite apparent in the writing at hand.   

I was surprised after reading “Exiles” that this was Cary Groner’s debut novel since it seemed quite professionally written.  Then, I read on to see that Groner did actually have an extensive writing background in journalism, had a MFA in fiction writing, and also had won numerous awards for his short stories.  His literary experience definitely shows as “Exiles” is a very well-written novel.

I found the characters in “Exiles” to be quite likeable.  The level of compassion that the main character Peter exhibits is quite commendable.  I also liked this glimpse into an area of the world that I previously knew very little about.  Groner’s “Exiles” is full of suspense and adventure, but also an extremely thought-provoking work. 

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