The Dead Fathers Club

A Novel

Author Matt Haig
Look inside
Paperback
$19.00 US
On sale Dec 18, 2007 | 336 Pages | 9780143112945
Grades 9-12 + AP/IB
A ghost story with a twist, from Matt Haig, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library.

"Ingenious." —USA Today


Don’t miss Matt Haig’s new novel The Life Impossible, coming September 2024

Philip Noble is an eleven-year-old in crisis. His pub landlord father has died in a road accident, and his mother is succumbing to the greasy charms of her dead husband's brother, Uncle Alan. The remaining certainties of Philip's life crumble away when his father's ghost appears in the pub and declares Uncle Alan murdered him.

Arming himself with weapons from the school chemistry cupboard, Philip vows to carry out the ghost's relentless demands for revenge. But can the words of a ghost be trusted any more than the lies of the living?
"The Dead Fathers Club has much to recommend it. . . . It's ingenious." ―USA Today

"Captures a studied, Haddonesque naivete." ―Entertainment Weekly

"Full of funny moments." San Francisco Chronicle

"We now owe another debt to Shakespeare, and one to Haig, for re-imagining a tragic masterpiece with such wit, force, and―yes―originality." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Humorous and original." ―Daily Mail (London)

"An absolutely irresistible read." ―Booklist (starred review)

"Utterly engrossing" The Observor (London)

"A story . . . so surprising and strange that it vaults into a realm of its own" Guardian

"Both funny, surreal and at times full of very black humour" Sunday Express (London)



Praise for Matt Haig:

“A keen-eyed observer of contemporary life.” ―New York Times

“I can't describe how much his work means to me . . . The king of empathy.” ―JAMEELA JAMIL

“Love this man's books.” ―JODI PICOULT

“Haig is one of the most important writers of our time.” ―DOLLY ALDERTON

“Matt Haig is a writer for children and adults who is adept at digging into the human heart.” ―Sunday Times (London)

“Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener. We are the tin.” ―JEANETTE WINTERSON

“Haig is one of the most inspirational popular writers on mental health of our age.” ― Independent (London)

“Haig writes exquisitely from the perspective of the heart-sore outsider, but at their most moving his novels reveal the unbearable beauty of ordinary life.” ―Guardian

“Matt Haig has a way of looking at life which will make you stop and think, and by the time you reach the last page, you will understand the world just that little bit better and feel a little more comfortable being in it.” ―JOANNA CANNON
© Kan Lailey
Matt Haig is the author of the internationally bestselling memoir Reasons to Stay Alive, along with five novels, including The Midnight Library, How to Stop Time, and several award-winning children’s books. His work has been published in fifty territories across the world. View titles by Matt Haig

About

A ghost story with a twist, from Matt Haig, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library.

"Ingenious." —USA Today


Don’t miss Matt Haig’s new novel The Life Impossible, coming September 2024

Philip Noble is an eleven-year-old in crisis. His pub landlord father has died in a road accident, and his mother is succumbing to the greasy charms of her dead husband's brother, Uncle Alan. The remaining certainties of Philip's life crumble away when his father's ghost appears in the pub and declares Uncle Alan murdered him.

Arming himself with weapons from the school chemistry cupboard, Philip vows to carry out the ghost's relentless demands for revenge. But can the words of a ghost be trusted any more than the lies of the living?

Reviews

"The Dead Fathers Club has much to recommend it. . . . It's ingenious." ―USA Today

"Captures a studied, Haddonesque naivete." ―Entertainment Weekly

"Full of funny moments." San Francisco Chronicle

"We now owe another debt to Shakespeare, and one to Haig, for re-imagining a tragic masterpiece with such wit, force, and―yes―originality." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Humorous and original." ―Daily Mail (London)

"An absolutely irresistible read." ―Booklist (starred review)

"Utterly engrossing" The Observor (London)

"A story . . . so surprising and strange that it vaults into a realm of its own" Guardian

"Both funny, surreal and at times full of very black humour" Sunday Express (London)



Praise for Matt Haig:

“A keen-eyed observer of contemporary life.” ―New York Times

“I can't describe how much his work means to me . . . The king of empathy.” ―JAMEELA JAMIL

“Love this man's books.” ―JODI PICOULT

“Haig is one of the most important writers of our time.” ―DOLLY ALDERTON

“Matt Haig is a writer for children and adults who is adept at digging into the human heart.” ―Sunday Times (London)

“Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener. We are the tin.” ―JEANETTE WINTERSON

“Haig is one of the most inspirational popular writers on mental health of our age.” ― Independent (London)

“Haig writes exquisitely from the perspective of the heart-sore outsider, but at their most moving his novels reveal the unbearable beauty of ordinary life.” ―Guardian

“Matt Haig has a way of looking at life which will make you stop and think, and by the time you reach the last page, you will understand the world just that little bit better and feel a little more comfortable being in it.” ―JOANNA CANNON

Author

© Kan Lailey
Matt Haig is the author of the internationally bestselling memoir Reasons to Stay Alive, along with five novels, including The Midnight Library, How to Stop Time, and several award-winning children’s books. His work has been published in fifty territories across the world. View titles by Matt Haig