Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - The Dead Father's Club

Loved this retelling of Hamlet with the narrator being 11-year-old Philip Noble who has recently lost his father. Unfortunately for young Philip, his father begins appearing to him and demanding his death be avenged by his son. Already a child often victimized by schoolyard bullies, Philip’s reputation as an oddball becomes even worse with his dead father popping up at any old time and badgering Philip who feels compelled to reply… but since only Philip can see his father, his new problematic behavior in life makes him the center of attention at home and school.

The adolescent voice created by author Matt Haig is so on point. Philip is a very bright and interesting kid who is wonderful at observing others and describing his world. He doesn’t want to believe what his dead father says to him or do what’s being asked of him, but feelings of loyalty to someone you love are hard to refuse. The sometimes zany situations in which Philip finds himself experiencing because of interactions with his dead father are beyond what you’d expect of a child, but not too far out there that they’re unbelievable. Philip’s explanation of what happens is done with the rationale you’d expect of a clever eleven-year-old boy.

This story makes so much sense when looked at through the lens of the main character being a child dealing with deep and profound grief that he may not yet be ready to move on from. The mind works in mysterious ways. There’s also a really good mystery or two running through the storyline, and almost a comedy of confusion that persists because no one is talking to Philip. But it is clear that the boy is loved by family and other adults in his life. I very much appreciated that being loud and clear in the book.

This is a very good story with excellent writing and character development. I highly recommend regardless of the reader’s familiarity with Hamlet.

I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator, pre-teen Andrew Dennis, was stellar. Mr. Dennis’s nuanced performance brought the source material to life and there could not have been a better choice for this book.

Content Warnings

laurataylor's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

megamog's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

thelovelylibrarylady's review against another edition

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dark reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

As a modern take on Shakespeare's Hamlet, Haig's novel The Dead Fathers Club was disappointing. Yes, it stayed pretty true to the play, but the execution was just bad. The book is told from the perspective of Philip, an eleven-year-old boy whose father has recently passed away. Personally, I am not a huge fan of adult novels with narration from children. It made the book feel more juvenile than what is appropriate for the topic matter. In addition to this, the ending left me confused. I am not one to complain about cliffhangers on standalone titles, but I do think there is a proper way to do them, such as leaving enough information for the reader to be able to make their own guesses as to what happens next. Overall, I would not recommend this title for the reasons stated above.

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