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 not 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 with not having 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 enter a vertical cave to find his way to the real world. Worried about Wolf, Luke chooses to find him and see if he’s okay. Little does Luke know, his friend has drowned and is now in the afterlife. Since Luke doesn’t have the same exploration skills, he discovers that he too has drowned and believes that real life is just a boot camp to prepare him 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 topics caught my attention. The first is when Luke decides to accept Wolf’s theory about the universe being turned upside down, thinking that if he could find that place he could solve a lot of problems. And since Luke doesn’t have a lot of experience living life or making decisions, he follows Wolf’s ideas.
The other area that made me reflect a bit more was when Wolf described the “afterlife” as a place where one could do what one wanted free of anger and hate, due to the fact that many things in life that we feel need are just feelings. Looking through this point of view, we realize that there is a lot we can do without.
Mike Avitabile’s “The Whale in the Cave” is thought-provoking and I recommend that one take the time to read the subplots to absorb all the possibilities of the text. I think this type of satirical literary fiction will appeal to many.