Cave of the Painter's Mind: A supernatural-psychological thriller: Take a journey through the mind o

By Joe Dennis

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0977295001
• ISBN13: 9780977295005
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: RingBolt Books
• Length: 249 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Jennie McNeely- TCM Reviews

If you are looking for a metaphorical book that has unusual characters, intriguing plot twists and a killer ending that does not disappoint, you have stopped looking now. Set in Iowa in 1993, this book is a personal journey that takes a deep look inside the insane mind of a painter. The writing is unique in perspective because it is a constant personal narrative of this man's thoughts. Written in a stream of consciousness style; the prose rambles intelligently in a free form; yet brilliantly coherent manner that reminds me of the poetry of Virginia Woolf. You watch while the main character experiences multiple episodes of deja vu that begins to eat away at his grip on reality. He creates a series of paintings in the book that seem to hold keys that connect him to both his future and his past. The book has gorgeous illustrations for each chapter that correspond to the mood or overall theme that the author is trying to convey through this character. It is dark, brooding, intelligent, metaphorical and gripping. Is he losing his mind because the love of his life left him? Is he losing his mind because his wife is running away from him? Who is the man in the black suit? These are just a few of the questions that he tries to unravel as he goes back and forth between lucidity and madness. This book is brilliant, it will change the way you see everything around you.

It is not about the creative process, it is the creative process

It's déjà vu all over again. With the first paragraph I thought, here's another example of the self-indulgent ramblings of a lovable, asymmetric narrator. I was wrong. It is the engrossing story of a man, Mark Hillberry, years ago dumped by someone he loves whose marriage is now coming apart. Oh yes, he's a compulsive surrealist painter who is living future events as well as re-experiencing his past because he embodies the words of Sun Tzu, "The most difficult things in the world must be done while they are still easy, the greatest things in the world must be done while they are still small." Have you ever seen a movie or become engrossed in a book that eerily parallels your own life? That's how I felt reading this novel (and I'm sure other males would agree). I turned pages anxiously as if to find out how my own life would turn out. Exploring the ramifications of choice through the metaphor of the caves in a painters mind is a stroke of genius. This book is not about the creative process it is the creative process, and we, the readers, feel as if we're the artist. This multi-layered story is presented against the backdrop of Des Moines, Iowa, flooded by endless rain in which the city's water supply becomes contaminated so all water is cut off to people's faucets. Like love in Mark's life. "Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink." A few sections seem talky--conversations with his boss, Jim, and his early love, Ann--but only because we've been inside Mark Hillberry's brain and the words seem a rehash of what we've experienced more directly. And the mysterious man in a black suit is a bit heavy handed. But the gangly central character is an adult Holden Caulfield who we laugh at, root for and identify with. Is his wife cheating on him? Will he ever sell a painting? Is the future really just the past being replayed again and again until we get it right? Do we want success or secretly cultivate failure? Can a novel wake us up to truths about ourselves we didn't think we knew? Read this book to find out.

One Rainy World

I was checking to see what Cave of the Painter's Mind propaganda is about. I'm one of those people that starts reading a book with an eye of criticism. So, I began Cave of the Painter's Mind in this manner and thought, "Yeah, okay, great." However, the more I got into the story, the more I found myself getting lost and sucked in to this painter's rainy world. One thing I really enjoyed about the novel is that the ending makes perfect sense but at the same time leaves you to wonder. It's not another Vanilla Sky ending (which I call the sequel to Jacob's Ladder) -- you know -- the kind of overplayed storyline in which all these crazy off-the-wall things happen to the main character, the kind of story that builds up to this great climax of suspense only to let you down upon finding that the main character was just having flash backs while lying on the death bed (the easy solution to wrap up a complex plot)-- but rather Cave of the Painter's Mind has an ingenious ending to equal that of its complex plot. Although the book deals a lot with human interaction, and although the author -- at times -- chooses to briefly cut into the plot with interesting facts, I would relate the plot to Christopher Nolan's movie Memento, because it was well put together and it makes you think. This book will not be re-sold by me. I'm excited to read Joe Dennis' second book, Shadows of a Headstone.

A Metaphorical Masterpiece

There are a lot of books about insane people; but Cave of the Painter's Mind is the best book about insanity, and not because the actual insanity in this book is greater or less than that of other books, but because the author Joe Dennis has carefully painted the definition of insanity -- a definition that each and every one of us can relate to -- in a scary way. Each one of us can live in the shoes of the main character Mark Hillberry, who is the painter/philospher in the book, 'Cave of the Painter's Mind'. He is faced with problems that many people experience on a daily basis. He seems, like the rest of us, to just be hanging on, with the hope of the future knocking on the front door, and the past of broken dreams knocking on the back door. The book builds up to a wonderful climax, and the ending is one that doesn't let you down. And it's one of those ends that, after it ends, you think, I should have known it was going to end like this, and yet you didn't know it was going to end the way it did. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to read an insightful book. Also, there are some great illustrations in the book.

A Twilight Zone Thriller

This is a great book -- very thought-provoking and mind-bending. The plot is twisty and crafty...the characters have depth and are quirky. I like books that not only entertain you but also give you substance -- something you can chew on. You'll see things differently after you read this book, especially the way you eat...ugh! (you'll have to read the book to find out what I mean by this). I just really liked this book. It really does put you into the mind of an abstract painter -- a painter that has a completely different perspective of life. And even though every scene doesn't have a cliff-hanger, the good story and characters make you to want more. And the plot is new to me (not another shop-worn plot; I hate those shop-worn plots). It's the kind of book that you have to read, from start to finish, to appreciate the thought that went into it. The book is different. And if you like different, then read the book. I recommend this book.