A review by thelovelylibrarylady
The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig

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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