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Married To A Cave Man
Married to a Cave Man is set in north Dublin in the dark days of Ireland’s economic crash. It centres on three marriages, each of which is experiencing a rough patch that’s about to turn a whole lot rougher. It’s a story of frustration, desperation and regret. It might not sound like it, but it’s a comedy.
Stephen and Nancy Cole have two boys under three. Nancy had always been vocal about the need for mothers to give up work for the first few years of their kids’ lives. She did so — and is now barely clinging onto her sanity. Stephen can tell that something's up with her but he doesn’t investigate too hard. After a tough day in a job he doesn’t enjoy, he just wants some down time with his beloved video games.
Next door to Nancy and Stephen live the McNamaras, Julie and Vincent. Julie works in advertising, while Vincent stays home with their baby and Jeremy Kyle (not literally). He’s besotted with his daughter and understands that his wife has the greater earning power. Still, he can't help but wonder if he has somehow stunted his masculinity. He has no idea that Julie wonders the same thing and is sliding towards an affair.
Across the street live the Dunlops, Leo and Deirdre. Leo, a serious record collector, has been unemployed for six months. Deirdre works as a PA in a dreary plumbing supplies company. They desperately want a baby but it isn’t happening, despite a sexual regime that has left them mentally and physically bruised. Deirdre tortures herself with the idea that her minor weight problem is to blame and spends every night on exercise bike. Leo, meanwhile, has given up on himself and is now merely pretending to look for work.
Stephen is the first of the husbands to decide that what he really needs — nay, deserves — is a man cave, a place where he can kick back and be alone. He empties out the garage and turns it into a shrine to gaming. Vincent likes the idea and follows suit, making himself landlord and sole patron of a little mock pub. Before long, Leo completes the set, clearing out the old paint cans and dragging in hundreds of records.
Nancy, Julie and Deirdre react to these moves with varying degrees of horror, disgust and low-level violence. Tensions that had been bubbling under now bubble very much over and before long, all three relationships are in crisis.
- GenresFiction
409 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 16, 2018
About the author
Damien Owens
8 books42 followersDamien Owens was born in Monaghan, Ireland, in 1971. He is the author of six novels: Dead Cat Bounce (2001), Peter and Mary Have a Row (2002), The Bright Side (2008), Little Black Everything (2009), Married to a Cave Man (2018), and Duffy and Son (2022).
The Bright Side and Little Black Everything were published under the name Alex Coleman.
He also created and wrote Trivia, a TV comedy/drama, two series of which were broadcast by RTE (Ireland) in 2011 and 2012.
The Bright Side and Little Black Everything were published under the name Alex Coleman.
He also created and wrote Trivia, a TV comedy/drama, two series of which were broadcast by RTE (Ireland) in 2011 and 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
January 17, 2018
There you go, see? THIS is how you combine humour with real human drama and emotion. Here it is.
February 15, 2018
Nancy and Redmond, Leo and Deidre, and Julie and Dooley - all married, and all going through their own life problems, The book starts off finding out how each of the couples meet, the fast-forwards a few years to find out how their relationships have developed.
Nancy, who always made a point of saying children needed their mothers at home full time in their preschool years, is stressed out of her mind looking after her two young boys and longs to go back to work. Redmond, deeply unhappy in his job, doesn't know how to treat his miserable wife.
Leo and Deidre have their own battles to fight. Leo has been unemployed for months and has effectively given up on everything apart from listening to his beloved records. Deidre, now the breadwinner, is desperate for a baby but, for no apparent reason, her and Leo cannot conceive a child.
Julie and Dooley seem to have the perfect life - she works as a senior account manager in a lucrative advertising firm while Dooley looks after their baby daughter. But when eyes start to wander, their marriage feels the pressure.
When Redmond discovered the concept of a man-cave the word quickly spreads around the rest of the men, putting further pressures on their stressed marriages. The book follows how this pressure affects the three marriages, and how ultimately the couple cope, or don't, as may be the case.....
Nancy, who always made a point of saying children needed their mothers at home full time in their preschool years, is stressed out of her mind looking after her two young boys and longs to go back to work. Redmond, deeply unhappy in his job, doesn't know how to treat his miserable wife.
Leo and Deidre have their own battles to fight. Leo has been unemployed for months and has effectively given up on everything apart from listening to his beloved records. Deidre, now the breadwinner, is desperate for a baby but, for no apparent reason, her and Leo cannot conceive a child.
Julie and Dooley seem to have the perfect life - she works as a senior account manager in a lucrative advertising firm while Dooley looks after their baby daughter. But when eyes start to wander, their marriage feels the pressure.
When Redmond discovered the concept of a man-cave the word quickly spreads around the rest of the men, putting further pressures on their stressed marriages. The book follows how this pressure affects the three marriages, and how ultimately the couple cope, or don't, as may be the case.....
January 7, 2018
What man doesn’t want a man cave? A place that’s all yours where you can hang out with your friends and drink or watch sports or whatever you do in there. But what if the wife doesn’t like that idea and your whole world seems to fall apart? Three different men, all neighbors, find out what happens when they try to carve out a little space of their own. Instead of a little piece of heaven, they find out, along with their wives, that marriage is not always easy and that sometimes you have to make compromises and adult decisions.
I liked the book well enough. It made me giggle a bit once or twice and at some point, I could empathize with each and every one of the spouses. I totally get needing your own space within the marriage so I did find the wives attitudes toward the man caves a bit extreme. Personally, as long as he kept his mess straight, my husband could have his own space and I would not care at all. At the end of the day, it’s all about saying the things that need saying and building the relationship up so it can grow.
I liked the book well enough. It made me giggle a bit once or twice and at some point, I could empathize with each and every one of the spouses. I totally get needing your own space within the marriage so I did find the wives attitudes toward the man caves a bit extreme. Personally, as long as he kept his mess straight, my husband could have his own space and I would not care at all. At the end of the day, it’s all about saying the things that need saying and building the relationship up so it can grow.
June 23, 2026
A rare novel for me. Amusing through most of the book but made me wonder if I’m just like these guys (and therefore in trouble with the wife)?
April 8, 2026
paperback edition ISBN 978-1911586845
December 15, 2017
* Disclaimer: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I became drawn to this book mostly due to the cover and also the fact that it is a contemporary fiction about marriage written by a male author, which I feel is not very common.
When all of the characters were introduced at the beginning of the novel, I felt that I might get confused between them. However, this was not the case and I found that they were all distinct and had their own personalities. Each member of the three couples that the story follows almost seemed like a stereotype usually found in romantic comedies but portrayed in a much more realistic way. I felt that the dramas that happened were understandable and were resolved in relatively realistic ways.
This contemporary novel takes the idea of a man cave and uses it to study these three couples and I really enjoyed that. It seemed very current and I would recommend it to both male and female readers as I don't think the author focused on either gender over the other. Also I liked that one of the characters was a stay-at-home father as this is something that I've rarely seen in fiction.
I became drawn to this book mostly due to the cover and also the fact that it is a contemporary fiction about marriage written by a male author, which I feel is not very common.
When all of the characters were introduced at the beginning of the novel, I felt that I might get confused between them. However, this was not the case and I found that they were all distinct and had their own personalities. Each member of the three couples that the story follows almost seemed like a stereotype usually found in romantic comedies but portrayed in a much more realistic way. I felt that the dramas that happened were understandable and were resolved in relatively realistic ways.
This contemporary novel takes the idea of a man cave and uses it to study these three couples and I really enjoyed that. It seemed very current and I would recommend it to both male and female readers as I don't think the author focused on either gender over the other. Also I liked that one of the characters was a stay-at-home father as this is something that I've rarely seen in fiction.
December 16, 2017
Simply love it! First of all, I have to thank The Pigeonhole and the author Damien Owens for the opportunity to read this novel. A fast paced read about the struggles of marriage and paternal hood. I really like the author style and the humour he puts in it even when discussing difficult topics as infertility, depression, struggle to cope with children upgrowing and also infidelity. At some point I had to stop reading because I end up in tears for laughing. As I said I really enjoyed it even though I am not married either a parent myself, it makes me wonder how I am ready to judge parents when their children are not behaving, not having the sightless clue how much pressure they are under, instead of judging I should sympathized with them. I really liked the main characters, even though they had their flaws they were realistic.
The novel is about three couples, Dooley and Julie, Redmond and Nancy, Leo and Deirdre. The three couples live in the same neighbourhood, apart for the pleasant nods they do not know each other. They all have in common the fact that they are going through a hard time. One evening Redmond and Dooley met and ending up talking about their wives and complain that they don’t understand that a man needs his space and Dooley came with the idea of the caveman place. He will soon discover that this idea would lead to a disaster. Will the couples survive or it will be the end of their marriages?
The novel is about three couples, Dooley and Julie, Redmond and Nancy, Leo and Deirdre. The three couples live in the same neighbourhood, apart for the pleasant nods they do not know each other. They all have in common the fact that they are going through a hard time. One evening Redmond and Dooley met and ending up talking about their wives and complain that they don’t understand that a man needs his space and Dooley came with the idea of the caveman place. He will soon discover that this idea would lead to a disaster. Will the couples survive or it will be the end of their marriages?
November 30, 2017
Read this via Pigeonhole. Really enjoyable, and made me happy I am single.
February 1, 2018
Thank You to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a story of three married couples as they try to deal with various different aspects in their married life. What ends up tying them all together is 'the man cave', that little area for the men to relax, unwind, whatever they may need.
What I liked at the very start was how the author introduced the couples, which was of course their first meeting, I loved this because although a short introductory chapter it gives you a vital piece of history as well as letting you know what everyone thought of each other at first glance. For me that really drew me into the story, most likely as I'm incredible nosy and love to find out how things turn out.
After we did get past the initial meetings and onto the real nitty gritty parts, I did find it hard at times to keep up with who was who, now there are six characters main characters to follow and just for the first few chapters at least I did struggle a tad to remember who was married to who. Once I did figure all that out, it was easy to see the different dynamics, different struggles and different personalities which were all fairly fleshed out. It did also lead to a lot more internal screaming towards every single character as no one was able to see any of the problems their spouses were facing. Now this might just be because as a reader it can be pretty easy to tell what's going on, especially with all that internal dialogue, but my goodness I was definitely getting more than a little irritated at times.
It did however give a pretty good and pretty honest depiction of what a relationship can really be like, without all the romance and when life really decides to kick you while your down. It also gives a valid depiction of what can happen in a relationship when both partners let pride get in the way and stubbornness of course. Now even though this was a well written book, I just couldn't really lose myself in it and I can't really pinpoint why, I feel as if the points the author was going for were well received, as mentioned it gives an accurate depiction of struggles people face, but it didn't have the certain factor that allowed me to completely lose myself in the book. This may just be me though. I was really hoping that the ending would knock my socks of and all would be forgiven but I only kind of liked how one couple was able to resolve their problems. If anything I wouldn't of minded an epilogue to find out how the characters were doing down the road, but once again that may just be my overall nosiness!
This is a story of three married couples as they try to deal with various different aspects in their married life. What ends up tying them all together is 'the man cave', that little area for the men to relax, unwind, whatever they may need.
What I liked at the very start was how the author introduced the couples, which was of course their first meeting, I loved this because although a short introductory chapter it gives you a vital piece of history as well as letting you know what everyone thought of each other at first glance. For me that really drew me into the story, most likely as I'm incredible nosy and love to find out how things turn out.
After we did get past the initial meetings and onto the real nitty gritty parts, I did find it hard at times to keep up with who was who, now there are six characters main characters to follow and just for the first few chapters at least I did struggle a tad to remember who was married to who. Once I did figure all that out, it was easy to see the different dynamics, different struggles and different personalities which were all fairly fleshed out. It did also lead to a lot more internal screaming towards every single character as no one was able to see any of the problems their spouses were facing. Now this might just be because as a reader it can be pretty easy to tell what's going on, especially with all that internal dialogue, but my goodness I was definitely getting more than a little irritated at times.
It did however give a pretty good and pretty honest depiction of what a relationship can really be like, without all the romance and when life really decides to kick you while your down. It also gives a valid depiction of what can happen in a relationship when both partners let pride get in the way and stubbornness of course. Now even though this was a well written book, I just couldn't really lose myself in it and I can't really pinpoint why, I feel as if the points the author was going for were well received, as mentioned it gives an accurate depiction of struggles people face, but it didn't have the certain factor that allowed me to completely lose myself in the book. This may just be me though. I was really hoping that the ending would knock my socks of and all would be forgiven but I only kind of liked how one couple was able to resolve their problems. If anything I wouldn't of minded an epilogue to find out how the characters were doing down the road, but once again that may just be my overall nosiness!
January 2, 2018
Funny and light, without being trite...
If you have ever wanted to bash your significant other around the head with a blunt instrument one moment and in the next instance wondered if you might actually be married to a real life superhero because you are so in awe of them, then you will identify with this book. We all love our other halves, right? But crikey oh blimey they know how to push our buttons.
So many “romance books” (not sure this entirely falls into that category, but for argument's sake) are about the chase. They are about the 'boy meets girl', the desperate tumble into love, the overcoming of inevitable disaster, etc. What I loved about this book is that it picks up where most others end off. We meet these 3 couples when they’ve done the falling in love part a long time ago and are now well into the humdrum of daily life.
And so this book, in a funny but delicate way, looks at the trials and tribulations of marriage and family life. How couples support each other through some of life’s biggest challenges. How they wonder what the hell they have got themselves into. How children will find a battery to put in their mouths, no matter how hard you watch them.
Owens captures that special brand of light sarcasm that every long term couple seems to have developed with each other - the one that can turn barbed at a moment's notice. And he paints family life in such wonderful, technicolour hilarity. Several times I had a fit of the sniggers and had to compose myself while reading on the bus.
And then it deals with the big issues. Whether being a stay at home dad makes you less of a man (spoiler alert - it doesn’t), whether infertility makes it OK to get secretly mad at pregnant ladies (it does, just a little bit) and if it is entirely legitimate to turn your garage into a games room (the jury is out on that one).
I just loved every cotton-picking minute of it. It was a quick but gorgeous read. And its out now, so go get your hands on it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Married to a Cave Man is OUT NOW by Unbound
All my reviews and more can be found at hintonhitsthebooks.wixsite.com/blog
If you have ever wanted to bash your significant other around the head with a blunt instrument one moment and in the next instance wondered if you might actually be married to a real life superhero because you are so in awe of them, then you will identify with this book. We all love our other halves, right? But crikey oh blimey they know how to push our buttons.
So many “romance books” (not sure this entirely falls into that category, but for argument's sake) are about the chase. They are about the 'boy meets girl', the desperate tumble into love, the overcoming of inevitable disaster, etc. What I loved about this book is that it picks up where most others end off. We meet these 3 couples when they’ve done the falling in love part a long time ago and are now well into the humdrum of daily life.
And so this book, in a funny but delicate way, looks at the trials and tribulations of marriage and family life. How couples support each other through some of life’s biggest challenges. How they wonder what the hell they have got themselves into. How children will find a battery to put in their mouths, no matter how hard you watch them.
Owens captures that special brand of light sarcasm that every long term couple seems to have developed with each other - the one that can turn barbed at a moment's notice. And he paints family life in such wonderful, technicolour hilarity. Several times I had a fit of the sniggers and had to compose myself while reading on the bus.
And then it deals with the big issues. Whether being a stay at home dad makes you less of a man (spoiler alert - it doesn’t), whether infertility makes it OK to get secretly mad at pregnant ladies (it does, just a little bit) and if it is entirely legitimate to turn your garage into a games room (the jury is out on that one).
I just loved every cotton-picking minute of it. It was a quick but gorgeous read. And its out now, so go get your hands on it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Married to a Cave Man is OUT NOW by Unbound
All my reviews and more can be found at hintonhitsthebooks.wixsite.com/blog
October 7, 2018
Damien Owens is one of the funniest people on Twitter at the moment. But I think there's a skill in witty one-liners and social commentary that doesn't quite translate into a genuinely funny novel. Well, plenty of others seemed to like it but the comedy just didn't really work for me, sorry.
For what it's worth there's something to be said for actually finishing it and giving it two stars which in Goodreads terms means I thought "it was ok". I rarely give low ratings because I usually abandon a book that isn't working for me; but I was curious enough to find out what happened to everyone.
For what it's worth there's something to be said for actually finishing it and giving it two stars which in Goodreads terms means I thought "it was ok". I rarely give low ratings because I usually abandon a book that isn't working for me; but I was curious enough to find out what happened to everyone.
December 2, 2017
I read this through Pigeonhole and loved it. Truly, waking-in-the-middle-of-the-night-to-keep-reading loved it. I thought the way that the couples are set out for us in the beginning was fresh and innovative and I found all of their individual stories and interactions fascinating and true to life. I also felt that the author (who is a man) writes women extremely well. My only criticism (and crushing disappointment) was that it ended so abruptly. I wasn't ready to let go yet. I look forward to more from this writer.
December 17, 2017
I knew Damien was a great writer before I started this book but if I hadn't known that before I would be aware now. Damien Owens is a master of dialogue and this book is no exception. Beautifully written and an absolute pleasure to read.
Would translate well into a tv series. I'd love to see these characters on screen.
I didn't want this book to end.
Would translate well into a tv series. I'd love to see these characters on screen.
I didn't want this book to end.
July 16, 2019
Couldn't connect with this story at all, I think partially because I'd read "The brightest star in the sky" by Marian Keyes very recently and I found the way the story was told very similar to it and was a bit bored. I wanted to like it as it had been recommended but unfortunately I couldn't continue reading.
November 29, 2017
just finished reading this via Pigeonhole and loved it. it has a fair amount of humour and some of the descriptions are classic and I could just imagine the events.
It is about 3 couples and a defining moment in each couples lives.
well worth the read.
thanks Damien
It is about 3 couples and a defining moment in each couples lives.
well worth the read.
thanks Damien
November 30, 2017
I read this book courtesy of the Pigeonhole. I found it numerous in parts, following the lives of three couples. There interaction was typical in young married couples. Their problem could be extreme in part but overall the outcome was great.
April 25, 2018
Not usually my genre of choice but I gave this a try on Pigeonhole. The characters were very believable although (call me an optimist!) it felt like quite a depressing portrayal of modern relationships! Definitely worth a read.
February 7, 2018
Three dimensional characters
And a relatable story. Engaging read perfect for a lazy Sunday or a beach read. I was disappointed when it ended.
And a relatable story. Engaging read perfect for a lazy Sunday or a beach read. I was disappointed when it ended.
May 12, 2018
Just ok
January 13, 2018
I'm going to be the grinch here (again) - well, there has to be one, doesn't there? So far all the other reviews have been very positive, with 4 stars being the lowest rating, but this just didn't do it for me. I requested it from NetGalley partly because it sounded fun and entertaining and partly because it's set in Dublin and written by an Irish author (I'm aiming to read more Irish authors/material this year). It's readable, but just a bit too lightweight. There were some amusing lines, but it all felt like the author was trying too hard to be clever, and I found the characters too stereotyped to form a connection. Sorry!
November 29, 2017
I loved the down-to-earth nature of the book. It's realistic and shows a slice of married life for what it is; the humour, the pathos, and sometimes the downright ridiculousness of it all! I was chuckling throughout, alternating at points with frustration at the spouses, and almost shouting at them to just communicate! But that's (married) life ... I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Damien Owens' style is very readable, and I'll be on the lookout for more of his work.
Read
December 5, 2017Nothing super amazing, but it's cute and a pretty quick read. Some of the lines definitely made me laugh aloud.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews