The Dead Fathers Club

By: Matt Haig

Narrated by: Andrew Dennis

Eleven-year-old Philip Noble has a big problem. His dad has appeared to him as a member of the Dead Fathers Club, a club for "ghost dads" whose murders are unavenged. His father's road accident, it turns out, was no accident at all. Uncle Alan is responsible for his dad's death, and if Philip doesn't succeed in killing his uncle just before his dad's birthday, just 10 weeks away, his dad's spirit will never rest.

So begins Philip's quest to avenge his dad and to save his mom from the greasy clutches of Uncle Alan, who seems intent on taking his dad's place in their lives. But Philip finds himself both uneasy with his mission and distrustful of the ghost that claims to be his father. Plus, he's distracted by Leah Polonius, the gorgeous daughter of Uncle Alan's Bible-thumping business partner. What's a young lad to do?

With more than a nod towards Hamlet, but with a quirky humor all its own, The Dead Father's Club is full of poignant insights into the strange workings of the world as seen through the eyes of a child.

(P)16 9

Critic reviews

"Clearly inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet, and part of the fun for the reader is discovering the many droll and unforced parallels." (Booklist)
"Haig does an enviable job of leavening a sad premise through the words and actions of a charming, resilient young man." (Publishers Weekly)
"Humorous and original....[It] will appeal to adults and children alike." (Daily Mail, UK)

once again a fantastic book

First, hats off to the kid who did the narration! Second, Matt Haig strikes again. His books are fantastic. great story the that kept me hooked through the whole book.

Matt Haig Club Member

I admire the works of Matt Haig immensely -- he is thoughtful, insightful, funny and real. This wasn't my favorite read, but not sorry to have spent the time on it.

Unsatisfying Ending

I really liked the style of writing. It reflected the 11 year old narrarator without being childish. However, I was left with a sense of incompleteness with this novel. It does not resolve Phillips problems.

Overall, it is not a bad novel. I didn't think it was as funny as I was led to believe it would be, but the content was interesting, until the end. It reminds me of a book from a school required reading list. The kind that you have to sit and discuss the meaning and what the author meant.

Love Matt Haig

And this is no exception. Having the narrator be a british child was a perfect choice and added to the story a lot.

It’s dark but so different

Like everything else Matt Haig has written, this was so intelligent, with beautiful bits of humanity peppered through. You often question your sanity when you’re reading his books, I just love them.