Critics' Opinion:
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Published in USA
Mar 2009
256 pages
Genre: Novels
Publication Information
A novel of chilling suspense about a father who will do anything to protect his teenage daughter.
Following the tragic deaths of his wife and son, antiques dealer Terence Cave is left alone to raise his only daughter, fifteen-year-old Bryony. As the young girl struggles to come to terms with the loss of her twin brother, Reuben, Terence observes changes in her behavior—changes he believes are more dangerous than the common trials of adolescence. In order to protect her, he begins to follow her whenever she leaves the house, becoming increasingly paranoid about her safety.
Bryony resents her father’s lack of trust and refuses to obey the draconian rules he dictates to her, despite his warnings. And when Terence realizes that the boy Bryony is in love with was present when Reuben died, his fear drives him to act—with disastrous results.
A brilliant psychological investigation into the relationship between parents and teenagers, and a story of nail-biting tension, Matt Haig’s compelling third novel is truly unforgettable.
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"What could have been an original look at human relationships unfortunately devolves into a heavy-handed study." - Publishers Weekly.
"Thoroughly capturing a father's desperation, fear, pain, and madness over family fatalities, Haig is a good interpreter of the human soul." - Library Journal.
"[A] compelling book; a page-turner in the best sense of the word, in that most of the suspense comes from character." - The Guardian (UK).
"Beneath these literary flourishes, Cave's grotesque zeal commands the reader's almost voyeuristic attention, and delivers an enthralling addition to the literature of demented protagonists." - The Independent.
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Photo: Jerry Bauer
Matt Haig's writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Sunday Times, The
Independent, and The Sydney Morning
Herald. The Dead Fathers Club was
his American debut but his second
published novel following The Last
Family in England (2004), a
reworking of Henry IV, Part I from the
point of view of a black Labrador named
Prince.
Shadow Forest, his first book for
children, was published in the UK in May
2007; and in the USA as Samuel Blink
and the Forbidden Forest in June
2007
His next book for adults was The Possession of Mr Cave in May 2008, followed by The Radleys.
He now lives in Leeds but ...
... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Matt Haig's Website
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