Reviews

The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig

sassypants1313's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

2.0

katykelly's review against another edition

4.0

Hamlet reimagined for young adults

Told in a very convincing child's voice, Philip Noble is caught up in a family drama when his father dies in a car accident and he begins to see the ghost, who tells him that it was no accident, that his uncle was responsible and that Philip must get his revenge...

The style of writing, lacking some punctuation (apostrophes, speech marks) was a little awkward at first, though it became much more natural, and kept reminding me all the way through of the age and naivety of the narrator. It did work, though I know for some it will be an off-putting style.

As a fan of Hamlet, a play I knew well when at school, I enjoyed the structural similarities, working out the character connections and seeing lines and scenes crop up edited for the modern world. It was very well planned-out and brought into its new context.

Without knowledge of the Shakespeare it still works very well indeed as a ghost/revenge/grief story. The themes of Hamlet are even more relevant to the story of a boy procrastinating over killing his uncle.

This would work well used alongside the original text for English students, but the themes of parental death, step-families, grief and adolescence will hit home with many readers aged 12-15.

goodem9199's review against another edition

3.0

I would recommend listening to this book. It is read by a young British boy, and he is amazing. I loved this book, although was a bit disappointed by the ending, hence the 3 stars.

carolyn0613's review against another edition

4.0

Philip Noble is eleven and his father has just died in a car crash. He is grieving deeply when his dead dad appears as a ghost and tells him that Philip's uncle killed him and is after Philip's mum and the pub she now owns and runs. Dad tells Philip that he must get revenge on his uncle by killing him, otherwise Dad is doomed to be a ghost forever. The story sounds horrific when describing it, but there is quite a lot of black humour in there and some amusing side characters. The story is written in the first person from Philip's point of view and in a child-like style, which I'm not sure worked that well. It was a little too overdone. Aside from that, the book is easy to read and very intriguing. Funny and sad.
I read afterwards that it is a rewrite of Hamlet, but I'm not very familiar with the play and didn't pick up on that.

skylarko's review against another edition

3.0

It was well written, from a preteens voice and perspective. But its NOT a tween book. It was messy and didn't have a happy ending, which is fine. I don't always need one. But it left so many open ends. And no accountability or help for the main character, who desperately needs it.

maggiw's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

dmsehnert's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

emariutto's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

2.75

ssshenberger's review against another edition

sad tense medium-paced

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

3.25

badseedgirl's review against another edition

3.0

The conversation I would love to have with Matt Haig, author of The Dead Fathers Club.* We would be sitting in a small diner drinking our hot beverage of choice.

So I said “Hey.”
And He said “Hey, you wanted to talk.”
And I said “I just finished your book The Dead Fathers Club.
And He said “What did you think?”
And I said “I was a little underwhelmed.”
And He said “Why.”
And I said “The Dialogue was a little clunky.”
And He said “In what way?”
And I said “This style is tortuous to listen to and read.”
And He said “You know it was a YA adult book?”
And I said “Your point?”
And He said “This is how kids talk.”
And I said “Don’t know.”
And He said “Your right, you don’t know.”
And I said “But it’s so choppy.”
And he said “How many books have you written?”
And I said “Are you mad at me?”
And He said “A little.”
And I said “Why?”
And He said “Do you know how hard it is it write dialogue?”
And I said “No.”
And the waitress said “Would you folks like a refill?”
And I said “No.”
And He said “No.”
And the waitress said “Well, Ok. I’ll just leave the check.”
And He said “Thanks.”
And I Said “Thanks.”
And He said “Any more critiques, Ms. Smarty-pants?”
And I said “I did love your story.”
And He said “Oh really?”
And I said “Yes, just not the dialogue.”
And He said “Well Ok.”
And I said “I’m even going to read the only other book my library has.”
And he said “Oh, What one?”
And I said “The Radleys. Will I like it?”
And He said “Don’t know.”

*I of course have never met or spoke to Mr. Haig. I have no idea if this is an accurate portrayal of his as a person. Just saying.