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The Good Father
From the award-winning creator of the TV show Fargo and author of the bestseller Before the Fall, an intense, psychological novel about one doctor's suspense-filled quest to unlock the mind of a suspected political assassin: his twenty-year old son.
As the Chief of Rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian, Dr. Paul Allen's specialty is diagnosing patients with conflicting symptoms, patients other doctors have given up on. He lives a contented life in Westport with his second wife and their twin sons—hard won after a failed marriage earlier in his career that produced a son named Daniel. In the harrowing opening scene of this provocative and affecting novel, Dr. Allen is home with his family when a televised news report announces that the Democratic candidate for president has been shot at a rally, and Daniel is caught on video as the assassin.
Daniel Allen has always been a good kid—a decent student, popular—but, as a child of divorce, used to shuttling back and forth between parents, he is also something of a drifter. Which may be why, at the age of nineteen, he quietly drops out of Vassar and begins an aimless journey across the United States, during which he sheds his former skin and eventually even changes his name to Carter Allen Cash.
Told alternately from the point of view of the guilt-ridden, determined father and his meandering, ruminative son, The Good Father is a powerfully emotional page-turner that keeps one guessing until the very end. This is an absorbing and honest novel about the responsibilities—and limitations—of being a parent and our capacity to provide our children with unconditional love in the face of an unthinkable situation.
As the Chief of Rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian, Dr. Paul Allen's specialty is diagnosing patients with conflicting symptoms, patients other doctors have given up on. He lives a contented life in Westport with his second wife and their twin sons—hard won after a failed marriage earlier in his career that produced a son named Daniel. In the harrowing opening scene of this provocative and affecting novel, Dr. Allen is home with his family when a televised news report announces that the Democratic candidate for president has been shot at a rally, and Daniel is caught on video as the assassin.
Daniel Allen has always been a good kid—a decent student, popular—but, as a child of divorce, used to shuttling back and forth between parents, he is also something of a drifter. Which may be why, at the age of nineteen, he quietly drops out of Vassar and begins an aimless journey across the United States, during which he sheds his former skin and eventually even changes his name to Carter Allen Cash.
Told alternately from the point of view of the guilt-ridden, determined father and his meandering, ruminative son, The Good Father is a powerfully emotional page-turner that keeps one guessing until the very end. This is an absorbing and honest novel about the responsibilities—and limitations—of being a parent and our capacity to provide our children with unconditional love in the face of an unthinkable situation.
391 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
708 people are currently reading
11613 people want to read
About the author
Noah Hawley
8 books2,886 followersNoah Hawley is an Emmy, Golden Globe, PEN, Critics' Choice, and Peabody Award-winning author, screenwriter, and producer. He has published four novels and penned the script for the feature film Lies and Alibis. He created, executive produced, and served as showrunner for ABC's My Generation and The Unusuals and was a writer and producer on the hit series Bones. Hawley is currently executive producer, writer, and showrunner on FX's award-winning series, Fargo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,584 reviews
December 5, 2017
This is not a pleasant book at all, and I loved it. The story is both poignant and fascinating, but if you happen to be a divorced father, it may hurt a bit to read this. If your own dad is out of the picture, as mine was growing up, a sense of discomfort may find you too.
Then again, this novel may grab you if you've ever wondered about people like Lee Harvey Oswald or Squeaky Fromme or John Wilkes Booth or John Hinkley and thought to yourself, how could someone go off the rails enough to kill a public figure - somebody who had never done them a bit of personal harm? Or the crazy guy that shot all of those people at Arizona Rep. Gabby Gifford's community meeting... When these assassins are found to be obviously mentally ill and have been so for some time, we at least have a hook on which to hang the act of terror.
But what if one of those accused of that kind of crime was the sort of boy who cried over finding a dead bird?
What if he was the son of a kind-hearted doctor, had a financially secure upbringing, was never exposed to violence? Let's say he had good grades and friends in high school, was admitted to a prestigious college, and was a nice looking kid to boot? If we were to look at this supposed villain, we might see that the only obvious blemish on his seemingly perfect life was that his parents were divorced when he was in elementary school and that his father had moved across the country.
It is not often that a physician gets invited to teach at Columbia and to treat mysterious ailments in famous, powerful patients. It also means plenty of income to fly the boy back and forth to Los Angeles where he lives with his mom. Lots of kids commute to their dad's place - what's the big deal?
The big deal in this story is that the 20 year old son of the doctor has been accused of firing a gun at the most charismatic Democratic presidential candidate in 60 years. The candidate sounds an awful lot like the charming Bill Clinton. His theme song has the same message, and there is even a lovely young lady in a navy blue dress. The candidate is beloved - no - adored, and this boy who is accused of pulling a gun on him actually worked for the candidate's campaign. That this young man would do this makes no sense.
So, the father - the good father - does what he can to investigate and exonerate his boy. Sure, he hasn't been there in the middle of the night to soothe his child's nightmares or to coach him in little league, but that does not mean he doesn't love him. Or that he will leave any stone unturned in finding those who may really be behind the shooting.
In examining clues, he pulls out his diagnostic skills. He analyzes which conclusions make the most sense. And he comes to truly know the boy who he left on the other side of the country at age 7.
This is the second book by Noah Hawley I've read over just a ten day period, and I have to say that his sociological commentary - here, about questioning ourselves as parents and in Before the Fall, about the fact-twisting of the media - speaks to me. Sure, there is a mystery in both of these books, and we are drawn to find the answers to them. But why the plane crashed or who really shot at the candidate are not the main stories. Not every reader is going to "get" that.
In this instance, if you are not a parent, this story might not resonate as well as it did with me. When one is desperately searching for the "why" behind disasters that hit our kids, we dig - we research - we grasp at straws. If you're not a parent but enjoy looking for deeper sources behind human behavior, you too may love this. This really is a thinker's book.
It is that pondering and analysis of ourselves and our society in Hawley's work that pulls me in. I'm a science-y type person, so maybe all the scrutiny and research he delves into are magnets for me. I also love a book where a principal character may or may not be a sociopath. Regardless, I'm pretty crazy for this author's work.
Now, Im off to go check out his TV series, Fargo - expecting good things!
Then again, this novel may grab you if you've ever wondered about people like Lee Harvey Oswald or Squeaky Fromme or John Wilkes Booth or John Hinkley and thought to yourself, how could someone go off the rails enough to kill a public figure - somebody who had never done them a bit of personal harm? Or the crazy guy that shot all of those people at Arizona Rep. Gabby Gifford's community meeting... When these assassins are found to be obviously mentally ill and have been so for some time, we at least have a hook on which to hang the act of terror.
But what if one of those accused of that kind of crime was the sort of boy who cried over finding a dead bird?
What if he was the son of a kind-hearted doctor, had a financially secure upbringing, was never exposed to violence? Let's say he had good grades and friends in high school, was admitted to a prestigious college, and was a nice looking kid to boot? If we were to look at this supposed villain, we might see that the only obvious blemish on his seemingly perfect life was that his parents were divorced when he was in elementary school and that his father had moved across the country.
It is not often that a physician gets invited to teach at Columbia and to treat mysterious ailments in famous, powerful patients. It also means plenty of income to fly the boy back and forth to Los Angeles where he lives with his mom. Lots of kids commute to their dad's place - what's the big deal?
The big deal in this story is that the 20 year old son of the doctor has been accused of firing a gun at the most charismatic Democratic presidential candidate in 60 years. The candidate sounds an awful lot like the charming Bill Clinton. His theme song has the same message, and there is even a lovely young lady in a navy blue dress. The candidate is beloved - no - adored, and this boy who is accused of pulling a gun on him actually worked for the candidate's campaign. That this young man would do this makes no sense.
So, the father - the good father - does what he can to investigate and exonerate his boy. Sure, he hasn't been there in the middle of the night to soothe his child's nightmares or to coach him in little league, but that does not mean he doesn't love him. Or that he will leave any stone unturned in finding those who may really be behind the shooting.
In examining clues, he pulls out his diagnostic skills. He analyzes which conclusions make the most sense. And he comes to truly know the boy who he left on the other side of the country at age 7.
This is the second book by Noah Hawley I've read over just a ten day period, and I have to say that his sociological commentary - here, about questioning ourselves as parents and in Before the Fall, about the fact-twisting of the media - speaks to me. Sure, there is a mystery in both of these books, and we are drawn to find the answers to them. But why the plane crashed or who really shot at the candidate are not the main stories. Not every reader is going to "get" that.
In this instance, if you are not a parent, this story might not resonate as well as it did with me. When one is desperately searching for the "why" behind disasters that hit our kids, we dig - we research - we grasp at straws. If you're not a parent but enjoy looking for deeper sources behind human behavior, you too may love this. This really is a thinker's book.
It is that pondering and analysis of ourselves and our society in Hawley's work that pulls me in. I'm a science-y type person, so maybe all the scrutiny and research he delves into are magnets for me. I also love a book where a principal character may or may not be a sociopath. Regardless, I'm pretty crazy for this author's work.
Now, Im off to go check out his TV series, Fargo - expecting good things!
March 28, 2025
Inspirational: A Father's Unrequited Love
The only thing we truly have control over is ourselves. No matter what, we cannot own other people's behavior. As individuals we are the "only" ones solely responsible for the consequences of our actions.
It is remarkable how much I gained from this provocative, thoughtful, and heart rendering novel.
Highly recommend Noah Hawley's The Good Father to all.
The only thing we truly have control over is ourselves. No matter what, we cannot own other people's behavior. As individuals we are the "only" ones solely responsible for the consequences of our actions.
It is remarkable how much I gained from this provocative, thoughtful, and heart rendering novel.
Highly recommend Noah Hawley's The Good Father to all.
October 15, 2019
Wow! I found The Good Father powerful and emotional and a book that really packs a punch and places the reader right in the centre of the drama.
You absolutely condemn the crime but as a parent can you condemn your chil?
Ever since I readA Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold I find these type of books very Powerful in their ability to put the reader in the parent's situation. Parenting is the most difficult job in the world and it doesnt come with a manual and when Paul Allen is faced with news that his son has been arrested and accused of the murder of Jay Seagrams, a shoo in to be the next President of the United States his tranquil and idyllic life is about to change forever and he questions decision he has made as a parent and how they may have affected his son.
I was very aware when reading this novel how many parents are faced with a situation silimiar to this every day in life where a child whom they love and trust is accused of a serious crime and they realise how little they know about their child and his/her life.
I really liked the structure of the novel as they story is intercepted with the histories of other mass murders and assassinations over the past 60/70 years. Personally, I thought this was very interesting and really informative as some of this true life accounts while I heard of I wasn't aware of the details and found it really informative and interesting.
I think this would make an excellent discussion book at book group and while it may not be everyone's cup of tea I can guarantee every member of a group will have an opinion and will find this one worth discussing.
A Book that will stay with me and one of those novels that I wish I had read as part of a book Group just for the discussion element.
Readers who enjoyed We Need to Talk About Kevin or Defending Jacob may well enjoy this one.
You absolutely condemn the crime but as a parent can you condemn your chil?
Ever since I readA Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold I find these type of books very Powerful in their ability to put the reader in the parent's situation. Parenting is the most difficult job in the world and it doesnt come with a manual and when Paul Allen is faced with news that his son has been arrested and accused of the murder of Jay Seagrams, a shoo in to be the next President of the United States his tranquil and idyllic life is about to change forever and he questions decision he has made as a parent and how they may have affected his son.
I was very aware when reading this novel how many parents are faced with a situation silimiar to this every day in life where a child whom they love and trust is accused of a serious crime and they realise how little they know about their child and his/her life.
I really liked the structure of the novel as they story is intercepted with the histories of other mass murders and assassinations over the past 60/70 years. Personally, I thought this was very interesting and really informative as some of this true life accounts while I heard of I wasn't aware of the details and found it really informative and interesting.
I think this would make an excellent discussion book at book group and while it may not be everyone's cup of tea I can guarantee every member of a group will have an opinion and will find this one worth discussing.
A Book that will stay with me and one of those novels that I wish I had read as part of a book Group just for the discussion element.
Readers who enjoyed We Need to Talk About Kevin or Defending Jacob may well enjoy this one.
December 10, 2019
Maybe it was the narrator’s voice on the audiobook that didn’t do it for me. I felt like I was getting lectured throughout the book, and I DO NOT LIKE to get lectured.
Loved Noah Hawley’s suspense/thriller Before The Fall though.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Loved Noah Hawley’s suspense/thriller Before The Fall though.
2.5 out of 5 stars
September 20, 2021
3.5 stars
A popular U.S. Senator running for President is shot at a rally and a college dropout named Daniel Allen (who calls himself Carter Allen Cash) is arrested for murder.
Daniel's father, a successful and respected rheumatologist named Dr. Paul Allen, believes his son is innocent and develops a compulsion to prove that fact.
Underlying Paul's obsession, in part, are feelings of guilt. He and Daniel's mother divorced many years ago and little Daniel had to fly back and forth across the country for infrequent visits with Paul and his new family. Could this have damaged the boy?
The story jumps back and forth between Daniel's memories of his past - including parts of his childhood and what he's been up to during the last couple of years - and Paul's current activities. Paul acquires a library worth of information about mass murderers and would-be presidential assassins, looking for clues to the mind-set of these individuals. He also hires a private detective, who helps him find out where Daniel has been recently, who he's met, and so on.
Daniel pleads guilty but even this doesn't persuade Paul of his son's guilt. Paul's obsession gets to the point where he neglects (and lies to) his new wife and family to work on Daniel's case.
I found the book engaging with a well-constructed plot. The main characters are three-dimensional and the reader can (mostly) believe they'd behave in the fashion described. The story is rather disturbing but I'd recommend the book.
You can follow my reviews at http://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com/
March 31, 2012
Book Review (ARC)
Do you know exactly how much I love the idea of a reputable doctor raising a psychopathic, cold-blooded murderer? The answer is – a lot, and I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, the author executed this idea very poorly. Somewhere, within all the superfluous facts and details, there is an excellent story to be told, but this novel just seemed like a mess of loosely related thoughts – like ordering a pizza and the waiter telling you how cheese is made. I just wasn’t a fan of The Good Father. The story had its moments and the writing was fine, but I didn’t care about 70% of the content.
The main character, Paul Allen, is also quite annoying. At first, he’s likable and obviously concerned with proving his son’s innocence, but then he goes all Jason Bourne on you and starts analyzing a ton of other assassinations that really don’t need to be mentioned at all. It didn’t create suspense; it literally made me want to skip huge chunks of the book because I simply didn’t care about being force-fed a history lesson.
My opinion: skip this book.
Reviewed by Brittany for Book Sake.
Do you know exactly how much I love the idea of a reputable doctor raising a psychopathic, cold-blooded murderer? The answer is – a lot, and I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately, the author executed this idea very poorly. Somewhere, within all the superfluous facts and details, there is an excellent story to be told, but this novel just seemed like a mess of loosely related thoughts – like ordering a pizza and the waiter telling you how cheese is made. I just wasn’t a fan of The Good Father. The story had its moments and the writing was fine, but I didn’t care about 70% of the content.
The main character, Paul Allen, is also quite annoying. At first, he’s likable and obviously concerned with proving his son’s innocence, but then he goes all Jason Bourne on you and starts analyzing a ton of other assassinations that really don’t need to be mentioned at all. It didn’t create suspense; it literally made me want to skip huge chunks of the book because I simply didn’t care about being force-fed a history lesson.
My opinion: skip this book.
Reviewed by Brittany for Book Sake.
July 2, 2018
Have a sentiment for Hoah Hawley maily due to Fargo series. His ideas for novels do not disappoint either. The Good Father analyzes father-son relationship in very specific circumstances, albeit not that unusual in modern world. Also, I enjoyed descriptions of several states which I visited and Montana which is on my to-visit list.
June 27, 2012
a respected rheumatologist paul allen experiences the shock of a lifetime one evening when he sees a news bulletin: someone has assassinated popular senator jay seagram at a political rally, & it looks like his disaffected son daniel is the assassin. paul can't believe that his son would kill someone. he devotes himself to finding the real gunman, or uncovering the conspiracy under which his son was brainwashed by seagram's political rivals. the book is mostly from paul's perspective, interspersed with the occasional chapter that is framed as daniel's psych evaluation, pages from his journal, & sometimes even just his point of view. the inconsistencies in narration are kind of annoying, because the reader then knows more about daniel's thoughts & motivations than paul does, even though paul's chapters are all about trying to find information about daniel's thoughts & motivations.
but more annoying than that is all the assassin trivia sprinkled through the book. when paul first hears about the assassination, he immediately starts reminiscing about the arizona "meet your congressperson" shooting. he's all, "what was that congresswoman's name? giffords?" but then goes into full-flow for literally like six pages of dense text about jared loughner's (the gunman) psychiatric history, childhood, mug shot, etc etc etc. like...we're supposed to believe that paul can barely even remember the name of the congresswoman who was shot in the head & survived, but he knows all this minutiae about jared loughner, such as the fact that local bank tellers used to keep their fingers on the security button when he came into the bank because he was just that creepy? if we are to believe that paul is this much of an assassination buff, it suddenly becomes less & less implausible that his kid would grow up to assassinate someone. not that being obsessed with assassinations means your kid might kill someone, but i did think it was dehumanizing to the victims to be like, "you know...ol' what's-her-face...giffords?" but then go on & on & ON about jared loughner. that level of fascination with murderers combined with the kind of inattention to their victims is the kind of thing that starts to make a person seem kind of creepy.
& in a lot of places where hawley insist on boring our pants off with assassin trivia, he writes really weird shit. like, daniel travels to austin, texas & volunteers with seagram's campaign about a year before the assassination. while there, he gets obsessed with the charles withman clock tower sniper murders. the history of these murders is kind of told from whitman's perspective, including things like, "he experiences an almost sexual thrill as he took aim." um...really? whitman was killed by police during the attack & so was never interviewed about his motives or how he felt while he was killing people. suggesting that he felt a sexual thrill is pure editorializing on hawley's part, & kind of says more about him than it does about whitman. i did not like.
at another spot in the book, daniel becomes agitated & upset when he takes a date to a seagram rally & seagram happens to sneak a peek at his date's cleavage as he's making the rounds, shaking hands. daniel is all, "he's not a great man. he's victim to the same base perversion as a dirty truck driver." but just a few pages earlier, daniel himself narrated that he had a difficult time looking at his date's lips without imagining them wrapped around his penis. let's just leave aside the fact that i, as a woman, really do not want to read shit like that. i understand that part of sexual attraction is wanting the object of your affections to do sexual things with you, but i just really don't want to consider that my boyfriend sometimes is imagining me giving him a blow job while we're, like, in line at the bank, or discussing a car repair or whatever. even if that's what he's doing, i just don't want to hear about it. & it pissed me the fuck off that it's apparently okay for daniel to have these little fantasies, but if someone else looks at his date's boobs, he has to kill them. perhaps this was simply the necessary trigger for an already unhinged mind to go ahead & commit an act as grievous as murder, & it was meant to illustrate the lack of rational thinking in play. but to me, it read as the normalization of misogyny, like dude readers were supposed to read it & be like, "oh yeah, of course i would want to kill someone who looked at my date's boobs," like he owns her boobs or something. don't get me wrong, it would be great if dudes could hold themselves back from scoping out the boobs of strangers, but when they slip up, ladies don't really need their male partners going into grizzly bear protection mode, like it's a slight against THEM that another man would be ogling their woman. it reminds me of an ex-boyfriend who told me, "it's natural for a guy to be protective of his girlfriend. it's like...he's protecting his womb, you know?" once i got done puking, we pretty much broke up.
& it was also annoying because at one point, daniel goes to a swimming hole & observes all the young ladies there in bikinis & thinks to himself, "how can they walk around on display like that, with their boobs there for everyone to see?" dude. they're boobs. they're difficult to hide sometimes. especially if you want to go swimming! get over it.
& don't even get me started on the whole conspiracy plotline. "daniel was caught trainhopping with a guy who used to be in special forces/black ops! surely this guy spent the train ride hypnotizing my son to kill senators!" ugh.
basically, i just need to not read books by or about men. i'll read one, it will be packed with casual misogyny, & i'll say, "never again!" then i'll decide that i'm being too severe & i'll give another once a chance & the same damn thing happens. do authors like hawley not consider the fact that women might read their books too?
but more annoying than that is all the assassin trivia sprinkled through the book. when paul first hears about the assassination, he immediately starts reminiscing about the arizona "meet your congressperson" shooting. he's all, "what was that congresswoman's name? giffords?" but then goes into full-flow for literally like six pages of dense text about jared loughner's (the gunman) psychiatric history, childhood, mug shot, etc etc etc. like...we're supposed to believe that paul can barely even remember the name of the congresswoman who was shot in the head & survived, but he knows all this minutiae about jared loughner, such as the fact that local bank tellers used to keep their fingers on the security button when he came into the bank because he was just that creepy? if we are to believe that paul is this much of an assassination buff, it suddenly becomes less & less implausible that his kid would grow up to assassinate someone. not that being obsessed with assassinations means your kid might kill someone, but i did think it was dehumanizing to the victims to be like, "you know...ol' what's-her-face...giffords?" but then go on & on & ON about jared loughner. that level of fascination with murderers combined with the kind of inattention to their victims is the kind of thing that starts to make a person seem kind of creepy.
& in a lot of places where hawley insist on boring our pants off with assassin trivia, he writes really weird shit. like, daniel travels to austin, texas & volunteers with seagram's campaign about a year before the assassination. while there, he gets obsessed with the charles withman clock tower sniper murders. the history of these murders is kind of told from whitman's perspective, including things like, "he experiences an almost sexual thrill as he took aim." um...really? whitman was killed by police during the attack & so was never interviewed about his motives or how he felt while he was killing people. suggesting that he felt a sexual thrill is pure editorializing on hawley's part, & kind of says more about him than it does about whitman. i did not like.
at another spot in the book, daniel becomes agitated & upset when he takes a date to a seagram rally & seagram happens to sneak a peek at his date's cleavage as he's making the rounds, shaking hands. daniel is all, "he's not a great man. he's victim to the same base perversion as a dirty truck driver." but just a few pages earlier, daniel himself narrated that he had a difficult time looking at his date's lips without imagining them wrapped around his penis. let's just leave aside the fact that i, as a woman, really do not want to read shit like that. i understand that part of sexual attraction is wanting the object of your affections to do sexual things with you, but i just really don't want to consider that my boyfriend sometimes is imagining me giving him a blow job while we're, like, in line at the bank, or discussing a car repair or whatever. even if that's what he's doing, i just don't want to hear about it. & it pissed me the fuck off that it's apparently okay for daniel to have these little fantasies, but if someone else looks at his date's boobs, he has to kill them. perhaps this was simply the necessary trigger for an already unhinged mind to go ahead & commit an act as grievous as murder, & it was meant to illustrate the lack of rational thinking in play. but to me, it read as the normalization of misogyny, like dude readers were supposed to read it & be like, "oh yeah, of course i would want to kill someone who looked at my date's boobs," like he owns her boobs or something. don't get me wrong, it would be great if dudes could hold themselves back from scoping out the boobs of strangers, but when they slip up, ladies don't really need their male partners going into grizzly bear protection mode, like it's a slight against THEM that another man would be ogling their woman. it reminds me of an ex-boyfriend who told me, "it's natural for a guy to be protective of his girlfriend. it's like...he's protecting his womb, you know?" once i got done puking, we pretty much broke up.
& it was also annoying because at one point, daniel goes to a swimming hole & observes all the young ladies there in bikinis & thinks to himself, "how can they walk around on display like that, with their boobs there for everyone to see?" dude. they're boobs. they're difficult to hide sometimes. especially if you want to go swimming! get over it.
& don't even get me started on the whole conspiracy plotline. "daniel was caught trainhopping with a guy who used to be in special forces/black ops! surely this guy spent the train ride hypnotizing my son to kill senators!" ugh.
basically, i just need to not read books by or about men. i'll read one, it will be packed with casual misogyny, & i'll say, "never again!" then i'll decide that i'm being too severe & i'll give another once a chance & the same damn thing happens. do authors like hawley not consider the fact that women might read their books too?
April 14, 2020
“The Good Father” by Noah Hawley is one of those books that I’ve been trying to find for a while. First off, the story itself is brilliant and the main character, Dr. Paul Allen completely sneaks up on you. The author is able to make this main character so quiet and so unassuming that it is able to become the perfect light for a father to be questioning his son in. He is neither too in your face, or too outraged. He is instead, a man trying to understand, through logic, the ways in which his son could have possibly killed a political figure.
I looked on Amazon, and was surprised to see that a lot of the other reviews seemed to have an issue with the author going off track and telling stories of other assassinations through time. Personally, I thought that these parts of the book were wonderful, and so well written that I immediately went out and started looking up these other cases more.
This story is full of intelligent heartbreak. It begs the reader not to get too sucked up in the shock of it all, but to instead try to piece together a puzzle that simply won’t fit no matter how you may try it. This is a book that doesn’t worry itself with telling the end of the story, but instead makes such an appearance during the entirety that one doesn’t worry about how it may end. Every character is spot on and every character; whether or not you may “like them” certainly forces you to pay attention to them.
I looked on Amazon, and was surprised to see that a lot of the other reviews seemed to have an issue with the author going off track and telling stories of other assassinations through time. Personally, I thought that these parts of the book were wonderful, and so well written that I immediately went out and started looking up these other cases more.
This story is full of intelligent heartbreak. It begs the reader not to get too sucked up in the shock of it all, but to instead try to piece together a puzzle that simply won’t fit no matter how you may try it. This is a book that doesn’t worry itself with telling the end of the story, but instead makes such an appearance during the entirety that one doesn’t worry about how it may end. Every character is spot on and every character; whether or not you may “like them” certainly forces you to pay attention to them.
March 23, 2019
Did anybody else get Into the Wild vibes from this book?
Danny Allen seemed very reminiscent of Chris McCandless to me--both were restless souls, both traveled the country searching for something--anything--which made some sort of sense to them, both changed their names, and both their lives ended tragically. I was immediately struck by the similarities.
The Good Father is an interesting, if somewhat slow, novel. As a parent, it really resonated...I truly cannot imagine the utter devastation one would feel having a child who was an accused murderer/terrorist. So much of this story was the father's, Dr. Allen, internal dialogue, which was dry, though evocative. Ultimately, the novel became more about a father's quest for meaning, as opposed to his son's alienation, alleged crimes, and subsequent arrest.
I truly enjoyed the flashbacks revealing pieces of Danny/Carter's trip around the country, but felt so much was left out...too much, really. I wanted more. I was also captivated by all the immensely detailed backgrounds of other historical gunmen. It was informative and genuinely interesting. I learned a bit of history while reading, which is always nice.
Bottom line: Although a little slow, The Good Father is certainly worth reading.
Danny Allen seemed very reminiscent of Chris McCandless to me--both were restless souls, both traveled the country searching for something--anything--which made some sort of sense to them, both changed their names, and both their lives ended tragically. I was immediately struck by the similarities.
The Good Father is an interesting, if somewhat slow, novel. As a parent, it really resonated...I truly cannot imagine the utter devastation one would feel having a child who was an accused murderer/terrorist. So much of this story was the father's, Dr. Allen, internal dialogue, which was dry, though evocative. Ultimately, the novel became more about a father's quest for meaning, as opposed to his son's alienation, alleged crimes, and subsequent arrest.
I truly enjoyed the flashbacks revealing pieces of Danny/Carter's trip around the country, but felt so much was left out...too much, really. I wanted more. I was also captivated by all the immensely detailed backgrounds of other historical gunmen. It was informative and genuinely interesting. I learned a bit of history while reading, which is always nice.
Bottom line: Although a little slow, The Good Father is certainly worth reading.
July 17, 2012
This is the kind of book that I will keep thinking about for a long time. It was a great read. Part suspense, part history, part family trauma...all around fantastic. From the very beginning of the story, the plot pulls you in and I found it hard to put down. I could sympathize with the characters..the writing style was meant to make the reader feel like we were really inside the heads of both father and son so we could understand their actions based on their feelings. It was like we witnessed a painful catharsis from two people's perspectives based on one terrible event. One is the son's life building up to the event, which is told in flashbacks...the other is the father's life which is happening after the event and in real time. Although the father is the main character, and the son a close second, the other people you meet in the novel are well developed, and you feel as if you have made a few friends while taking a cross country drive. It is a bittersweet but raw slice of life novel that is truly thought provoking. Would be a wonderful book discussion pick.
December 4, 2011
Whenever I hear a story of senseless killing, my first thought is always for the victims. But the thought that follows close behind is a thought about the parents. Not just the parent of the victims but also the parent of the killer especially if it’s a young person. I always wonder how I would react. Would I go over every detail of my child’s life to figure out how that child had come to such a bad place? For this reason, this book really spoke to my heart. The father in this book does exactly that. I understood his need to obsessively read details of the lives of murders, from Sirhan Sirhan to John Hinckley. I understood his need, as a doctor, to methodically work through the puzzle of his child’s life. I understood the pain in wondering where a parent goes wrong in their child’s life; what specific incident leads a child to murder. It’s a powerful struggle that allows him to go on. Beautifully written; when it was over I cried and hugged my children. This book is a great read for anyone but I must for every parent.
November 20, 2011
Found this book to be an intense read about a young man who shoots the politician who was probably going to be the next President of the United States. This books raises a lot of questions about the value of family and the choices on makes in life. Couldn't help personalizing this book and felt such sympathy for all involved. The father who attempts to re-examine his choices and to follow his sons footsteps that led up to the killing. Very good book and very well written.
February 15, 2012
The blurbage suggested that this was going to be like We Need to Talk About Kevin or Nineteen Minutes: how does a family cope when a child has done the unthinkable? And to some extent the plot does live up to that premise. Dr. Paul Allen's life is turned upside down when his son Daniel kills Senator Seagram, the leading Democratic presidential candidate. Of course Paul wants to believe that there's no way that Daniel could have done this - there must be a conspiracy, or his son was brainwashed, or there were others involved that his son's covering for. Right?
So part of the book is about Paul's search for "the truth", tracking down leads and compiling boxes and boxes of "evidence". Because he's a rheumatologist he's used to assessing symptoms and creating a diagnosis/care plan based on that evidence - this leads to passages where he talks about former patients and their symptoms (think House, right down to the sarcoidosis mention).
Then there's the part of the book that is told from Daniel's point of view. He'd dropped out of Vassar and rather aimlessly traveled across country, staying a few weeks here and a few months there, ultimately ending up in Los Angeles, at UCLA, with a gun shooting at the Senator. His reasons, such as they are, do come to light but the clearer picture is that there is no real reason (cue Boomtown Rats).
The reason for the two stars is that there's a lot of coverage of other famous killings. Chapters, albeit small ones, on Sirhan Sirhan and Charles Whitman and John Hinkley which dragged down the plot and didn't add to our understanding of the Why in this case.
ARC provided by publisher.
So part of the book is about Paul's search for "the truth", tracking down leads and compiling boxes and boxes of "evidence". Because he's a rheumatologist he's used to assessing symptoms and creating a diagnosis/care plan based on that evidence - this leads to passages where he talks about former patients and their symptoms (think House, right down to the sarcoidosis mention).
Then there's the part of the book that is told from Daniel's point of view. He'd dropped out of Vassar and rather aimlessly traveled across country, staying a few weeks here and a few months there, ultimately ending up in Los Angeles, at UCLA, with a gun shooting at the Senator. His reasons, such as they are, do come to light but the clearer picture is that there is no real reason (cue Boomtown Rats).
The reason for the two stars is that there's a lot of coverage of other famous killings. Chapters, albeit small ones, on Sirhan Sirhan and Charles Whitman and John Hinkley which dragged down the plot and didn't add to our understanding of the Why in this case.
ARC provided by publisher.
March 5, 2025
I've read 'Before The Fall' a year ago and gave it 4 stars, with the recommendation to myself to read more from this author, so here I am, reading my 2nd book...
Reading the synopsis, it looked like a similar concept to 'Defending Jacob' by William Landay that I've read exactly 10 years ago, and I still have lingering thoughts about till now, but on reading the book it turned out to be totally different...
The story is about a man who after being mostly absent from the life of his son, pursuing his career and a fresh start with a second wife and a new family, his world comes apart with the news that his son has assassinated the president elect.
Part one of the story deals mainly with the feelings of guilt and the father searching within his past where it all went wrong leading to where his son stands today, and as a typical parent, despite his absence, he refuses to believe his own son is guilty or even capable of such a deed. He is determined to unearth the truth, and for him there is only one truth, Dan is innocent...
The book poses the classic question of nature vs. nurture, how much does our surroundings and upbringing influence who we become, are we who we are today because of our experiences, or we are born with natural ongrown tendencies that our experience help to express or suppress them? How much responsibility falls on the shoulders of parents for the deeds of their offspring? If a parents guidance and care is the detrimental factor of a healthy child why aren't all siblings identical in their personalities? And till what age the parent remains responsible for his son/ daughter? In my opinion, a parent is responsible for establishing a healthy environment for his child to thrive in, and to outtline the boundaries of goodness, and pursue the teaching of self discipline and control to his child, and at the right age, when the fowl is ready to spring his wings and leave the nest, the parent's role changes to companionship and being the safe haven or the rock that their child can lean on anytime they wish, keeping your guardianship permanently over the head of your child will never make a fully mature person who in his turn should be a parent to the following generation.
The story is peppered with inserts about some of America's infamous killers, drawing quick portraits of each, but not deep enough to warrant full understanding, but if interested, one can read further about them, definitely entire books were written dissecting their lives in detail, I've read one about Timothy Mcveigh and it was good...
Overall the story is good, but what's even better is that the story induces reflections and thoughts, and this makes it a good, enjoyable story...
MiM
Reading the synopsis, it looked like a similar concept to 'Defending Jacob' by William Landay that I've read exactly 10 years ago, and I still have lingering thoughts about till now, but on reading the book it turned out to be totally different...
The story is about a man who after being mostly absent from the life of his son, pursuing his career and a fresh start with a second wife and a new family, his world comes apart with the news that his son has assassinated the president elect.
Part one of the story deals mainly with the feelings of guilt and the father searching within his past where it all went wrong leading to where his son stands today, and as a typical parent, despite his absence, he refuses to believe his own son is guilty or even capable of such a deed. He is determined to unearth the truth, and for him there is only one truth, Dan is innocent...
The book poses the classic question of nature vs. nurture, how much does our surroundings and upbringing influence who we become, are we who we are today because of our experiences, or we are born with natural ongrown tendencies that our experience help to express or suppress them? How much responsibility falls on the shoulders of parents for the deeds of their offspring? If a parents guidance and care is the detrimental factor of a healthy child why aren't all siblings identical in their personalities? And till what age the parent remains responsible for his son/ daughter? In my opinion, a parent is responsible for establishing a healthy environment for his child to thrive in, and to outtline the boundaries of goodness, and pursue the teaching of self discipline and control to his child, and at the right age, when the fowl is ready to spring his wings and leave the nest, the parent's role changes to companionship and being the safe haven or the rock that their child can lean on anytime they wish, keeping your guardianship permanently over the head of your child will never make a fully mature person who in his turn should be a parent to the following generation.
The story is peppered with inserts about some of America's infamous killers, drawing quick portraits of each, but not deep enough to warrant full understanding, but if interested, one can read further about them, definitely entire books were written dissecting their lives in detail, I've read one about Timothy Mcveigh and it was good...
Overall the story is good, but what's even better is that the story induces reflections and thoughts, and this makes it a good, enjoyable story...
MiM
June 29, 2013
This is not the type of book I generally read. I love character-driven books with poetic, lyrical language, quiet dramas that take place in the silent space between people. This book is almost a whodunit... and appeared at first to have nothing in common with the books I generally love. But it called to me from the library shelf for some reason, and so I picked it up. I'm thrilled that I did -I will most definitely seek out other books by this author.
Noah Hawley effortlessly weaves together a physician's diagnostic approach to the world, the histories of other mass murderers/assassins, and the physician's growing awareness and acceptance of his failings as a parent and the tragic impact this has on his son. This is a tragic story on so many levels, and it's impossible to read without opening your mind to a more full understanding of the mind that kills.... Really, really enjoyed this.
Noah Hawley effortlessly weaves together a physician's diagnostic approach to the world, the histories of other mass murderers/assassins, and the physician's growing awareness and acceptance of his failings as a parent and the tragic impact this has on his son. This is a tragic story on so many levels, and it's impossible to read without opening your mind to a more full understanding of the mind that kills.... Really, really enjoyed this.
March 6, 2013
This is a 5-star read.
Well researched and constructed - fast-paced and never, never sentimental.
Reads like a TV thriller but treats the subject with respect.
Excellent.
Well researched and constructed - fast-paced and never, never sentimental.
Reads like a TV thriller but treats the subject with respect.
Excellent.
September 20, 2016
This book is just incredible. Dr. Paul Allen starts re-examining his life as a man and as a father when his 20 year old son Daniel is accused of assassinating a candidate for President of the United States. Told from both Paul and Daniel's POVs we learn a lot about their relationship, or lack there of, and what drove Daniel to be at the candidate's rally on that fateful day, and what drives Paul to try to prove his son's innocence. In the beginning of the book there are also descriptions of other assassinations and mass murders which are dissected as to the murderer's state of mind and did he really do it. They are a fascinating addition to this story.
Noah Hawley's writing just pulls you in and keeps you turning pages. You feel Paul's heartache over his son's circumstances and his own helplessness. This circumstance is a nightmare for any parent, but as an acclaimed doctor, Paul is used to being able to get to the source of problems and find solutions. Here he cannot.
Daniel is a bit more of a cypher, but eventually you come to understand him. Not approve of him, but understand him.
The book raises some interesting questions: if your adult child does something reprehensible, are you also to blame? Does it reflect on how you raised the child? What makes a "good parent"? Can one traumatic incident in a child's life affect them forever? What is the effect of divorce on a child? How do you best mitigate it?
The writing is compelling, emotional, spare and eloquent at the same time. It's a very powerful read. An absolute recommend.
Noah Hawley's writing just pulls you in and keeps you turning pages. You feel Paul's heartache over his son's circumstances and his own helplessness. This circumstance is a nightmare for any parent, but as an acclaimed doctor, Paul is used to being able to get to the source of problems and find solutions. Here he cannot.
Daniel is a bit more of a cypher, but eventually you come to understand him. Not approve of him, but understand him.
The book raises some interesting questions: if your adult child does something reprehensible, are you also to blame? Does it reflect on how you raised the child? What makes a "good parent"? Can one traumatic incident in a child's life affect them forever? What is the effect of divorce on a child? How do you best mitigate it?
The writing is compelling, emotional, spare and eloquent at the same time. It's a very powerful read. An absolute recommend.
April 15, 2012
So. What makes a good father? According to Noah Hawley's novel, it is feeling so guilty about not having a relationship with your son that it almost makes you crazy when the son does something that is despicable, and even though you don't know your son at all, you need to insist on his innocence. As if the son's innocence of a crime will prove that the father is innocent of a crime (in this case not really caring about a child) as well. This is kind of harsh. Let me start over.
Noah Hawley's novel, "The Good Father" is the dynamic between a father who moved across the country from his ex-wife and son and had a new family with new sons. This dynamic is stretched to the limit when the son is accused of killing a prominent senator who is more than likely to become the next president. The father is sickened because he feels like he has done something wrong by not being his father in the sense of seeing him more than 30 days a year. I don't know. When it comes down to it, even though it is proven throughout the novel that the father is not guilty, that the son had his own agenda and world views, it still feels as if this does not let the father off the hook, thus not making him a good father.
Wait.
*****PROBABLY SOME STATEMENTS IN THIS NEXT SECTION THAT COULD BE VIEWED AS SPOILERS. SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH*****
Let me try to understand. Even though Daniel's family and Senator's family has the exact same structure, except that Daniel's is the oldest, and the Senator's oldest boy is dead so that Daniel sees the parallel between himself and the Senator's dead son, and even though Daniel's thoughts turn to murder after he meets the Senator and feels like he is a fraud. And he equates this fraudulent behavior to his father's behavior. And when he is killing the senator, he is in essence, killing his father, e.g. killing his ideal of having a loving leader in his life, someone who can be trusted and loyal, this is not the father's fault to some degree? I'm calling bullshit.
******NEXT PARAGRAPH*****
The first half of this novel really flies by, and I think some of the more interesting aspects of it is Noah Hawley's use of the other biographies of assassins to compare to this situation. I like the structure and the suspense. The last 100 pages or so start to really feel like that is nothing else for the narrator to hold onto, that all explanations are really moot, and that he is just banging his head against a wall. It is always tough for me to get through literary head banging. Finally in the end, "The Good Father" wraps itself nicely and gives the reader closure to the situation.
Noah Hawley's novel, "The Good Father" is the dynamic between a father who moved across the country from his ex-wife and son and had a new family with new sons. This dynamic is stretched to the limit when the son is accused of killing a prominent senator who is more than likely to become the next president. The father is sickened because he feels like he has done something wrong by not being his father in the sense of seeing him more than 30 days a year. I don't know. When it comes down to it, even though it is proven throughout the novel that the father is not guilty, that the son had his own agenda and world views, it still feels as if this does not let the father off the hook, thus not making him a good father.
Wait.
*****PROBABLY SOME STATEMENTS IN THIS NEXT SECTION THAT COULD BE VIEWED AS SPOILERS. SKIP TO THE NEXT PARAGRAPH*****
Let me try to understand. Even though Daniel's family and Senator's family has the exact same structure, except that Daniel's is the oldest, and the Senator's oldest boy is dead so that Daniel sees the parallel between himself and the Senator's dead son, and even though Daniel's thoughts turn to murder after he meets the Senator and feels like he is a fraud. And he equates this fraudulent behavior to his father's behavior. And when he is killing the senator, he is in essence, killing his father, e.g. killing his ideal of having a loving leader in his life, someone who can be trusted and loyal, this is not the father's fault to some degree? I'm calling bullshit.
******NEXT PARAGRAPH*****
The first half of this novel really flies by, and I think some of the more interesting aspects of it is Noah Hawley's use of the other biographies of assassins to compare to this situation. I like the structure and the suspense. The last 100 pages or so start to really feel like that is nothing else for the narrator to hold onto, that all explanations are really moot, and that he is just banging his head against a wall. It is always tough for me to get through literary head banging. Finally in the end, "The Good Father" wraps itself nicely and gives the reader closure to the situation.
May 1, 2014
A canny psychological thriller, a cut above average in terms of both writing and content. Hawley has, in a sense, written the father’s version of We Need to Talk About Kevin. Our narrator here is Dr. Paul Allen, a rheumatologist who fancies himself a bit of a Dr. House, putting together clues to solve mysterious cases. His son from his first marriage, Daniel, is a college dropout who has been travelling the country in a beat-up old Honda, doing odd jobs to get more money. Though a bit of a loner and loser, he’s never struck anyone as a dangerous individual – and yet here he stands on trial for the assassination of Senator Seagram, the popular Democratic presidential candidate (clearly modelled on JFK and Obama – especially with his speeches’ message of hope). Dr. Allen becomes obsessed with his son’s case, convinced that if he can just discover all the ‘lost’ months of Daniel’s road trip, he will figure out that his son was framed, or forced into crime by a couple of shadowy ex-military figures he met on a train.
Dr. Allen’s interrogation of the past, including how he raised Daniel and whether he could have done anything differently, is certainly reminiscent of Eva’s in We Need to Talk About Kevin. Hawley’s other great debt is to Don DeLillo’s Libra, which is a clear influence on the third-person sections of the novel in which we learn about Daniel’s journey to the assassination. Tracing the parallels with other political assassinations/attempts from RFK to Gabrielle Giffords, Hawley places Daniel in a tradition of senseless acts of hatred. Although the novel is not satisfying in that there is no good reason for Daniel’s crime, this is Hawley’s point – there is no reason, only madness.
(I also enjoyed the recurring references to the song “Today” by the Smashing Pumpkins. What a blast from the past it was to read lyrics from that! I remember that song playing in the car when my sister was in high school and would drive me around places.)
Dr. Allen’s interrogation of the past, including how he raised Daniel and whether he could have done anything differently, is certainly reminiscent of Eva’s in We Need to Talk About Kevin. Hawley’s other great debt is to Don DeLillo’s Libra, which is a clear influence on the third-person sections of the novel in which we learn about Daniel’s journey to the assassination. Tracing the parallels with other political assassinations/attempts from RFK to Gabrielle Giffords, Hawley places Daniel in a tradition of senseless acts of hatred. Although the novel is not satisfying in that there is no good reason for Daniel’s crime, this is Hawley’s point – there is no reason, only madness.
(I also enjoyed the recurring references to the song “Today” by the Smashing Pumpkins. What a blast from the past it was to read lyrics from that! I remember that song playing in the car when my sister was in high school and would drive me around places.)
March 2, 2012
This is a really excellent, thought provoking and intelligent read. Dr Paul Allen is a respected, successful and contented man, living with his second wife and twin sons. His life is thrown into turmoil when his son, Daniel, from his first marriage shoots Presidential candidate Jay Seagram. Before he knows what has happened, Paul has the Secret Service whisking him away for questioning and half the worlds media camped out on his lawn. His son had dropped out of college and spent a year travelling the States before the assassination. In denial and desperate to save his son, Paul questions whether he is responsible for his sons actions. Very well written and sympathetic novel, which I recommend highly.
May 12, 2020
The blurb says it all. In the end, a father is there for his son on death row, whom he feels he failed when he divorced his wife and started a new family. A difficult one to read. Lots of angst, guilt, self-justification and, in the end, acceptance and moving on.
September 30, 2015
This was one of the saddest books I've ever read.
July 28, 2016
I read After the Fall a few weeks ago & was completely and utterly floored by how incredible it was. So I immediately sought out other books by Hawley, and this was all my library had to offer.
At first, I found it quite disappointing. It was slow moving, not at all the gripping thriller the other book had been, and the theme was extremely heavy handed and overbearing. It wasn't awful, but I found myself losing interest and wondering if I'd even finish it.
Somewhere around the last 1/3 of the book though, it turned a corner and got not only faster-paced and more exciting, but it also got a hold on me emotionally. By the end, I actually had tears in my eyes and found myself really haunted by the characters of Danny and Paul.
Normally a book that took such a long time to get me engaged wouldn't get more than 3 stars, so it's a testament to Hawley's talent that he was able to change my mind so thoroughly in just the last section of the novel.
At first, I found it quite disappointing. It was slow moving, not at all the gripping thriller the other book had been, and the theme was extremely heavy handed and overbearing. It wasn't awful, but I found myself losing interest and wondering if I'd even finish it.
Somewhere around the last 1/3 of the book though, it turned a corner and got not only faster-paced and more exciting, but it also got a hold on me emotionally. By the end, I actually had tears in my eyes and found myself really haunted by the characters of Danny and Paul.
Normally a book that took such a long time to get me engaged wouldn't get more than 3 stars, so it's a testament to Hawley's talent that he was able to change my mind so thoroughly in just the last section of the novel.
April 23, 2017
Amazing book! Unputdownable! What a premise! Sad and poignant, a great story.
March 30, 2012
There are two books that published recently, Defending Jacob, by William Landay and The Good Father by Noah Hawley, that deal with fathers struggling with the accusation that their sons committed murder.
In Landay's novel, an assistant district attorney's teenage son is accused of killing his classmate. In The Good Father, Dr. Paul Allen's estranged college drop-out son is arrested for killing a senator, a popular family man on his way to winning his party's presidential nomination.
Allen divorced his son Danny's mother when Danny was a young boy. He left them and moved across the country to take another job. He remarried and began a new family, now father to twin boys. Danny spent time with his dad and his new family, summer vacations, but he was basically raised by his mother, a woman who was prone to "intense manic interest followed by long stretches of epic boredom", as Danny was.
Paul is shocked when he and his wife see on the news that Danny is the one arrested for killing the senator. He cannnot believe that his son did this; there must be a mistake. He hires a lawyer for his son, but his son will not cooperate. Danny is being held in federal custody and no one is allowed to see him.
Paul becomes obsessed with proving that his son is part of a conspiracy, a fall guy for the murder. He travels across the country, trying to piece together the last few years of his son's life; where he was, who he met, what he did.
This obsession endangers his marriage, and he and his new family are hounded so much, they move to a rural community in Colorado to escape and start over. His wife is patient, but she firmly tells him that if Danny will not cooperate, they must let him go and concentrate on saving their own two sons.
Hawley is a good writer, he really makes the reader empathetic to Paul's pain and anguish. He writes a great line, "Father and sons. What we wouldn't give to trade places with our boys, to absorb their suffering and ease their pain."
And yet here is my thought on that. Dr. Allen divorced Danny's mother because he couldn't take living with her anymore, that she may have suffered from depression. But he thought it was OK to leave his young son to be raised by her alone, while he starts a new life far away. Would it have been better for his son if he had his father around growing up? If he had made that sacrifice for his son, would things have turned out differently? I think that is something that Paul will have to live with for the rest of his life.
The Good Father haunts you with its sadness and despair, with a puzzling mystery thrown in. Did Danny kill the senator or was he a pawn in a conspiracy? It makes you uncomfortable, and gets you to think that you may not know your own child, the things he has gone through, what he is thinking. I do like that we get to see what Danny has gone through the past few years, and how he got to where he sadly ended up.
In Landay's novel, an assistant district attorney's teenage son is accused of killing his classmate. In The Good Father, Dr. Paul Allen's estranged college drop-out son is arrested for killing a senator, a popular family man on his way to winning his party's presidential nomination.
Allen divorced his son Danny's mother when Danny was a young boy. He left them and moved across the country to take another job. He remarried and began a new family, now father to twin boys. Danny spent time with his dad and his new family, summer vacations, but he was basically raised by his mother, a woman who was prone to "intense manic interest followed by long stretches of epic boredom", as Danny was.
Paul is shocked when he and his wife see on the news that Danny is the one arrested for killing the senator. He cannnot believe that his son did this; there must be a mistake. He hires a lawyer for his son, but his son will not cooperate. Danny is being held in federal custody and no one is allowed to see him.
Paul becomes obsessed with proving that his son is part of a conspiracy, a fall guy for the murder. He travels across the country, trying to piece together the last few years of his son's life; where he was, who he met, what he did.
This obsession endangers his marriage, and he and his new family are hounded so much, they move to a rural community in Colorado to escape and start over. His wife is patient, but she firmly tells him that if Danny will not cooperate, they must let him go and concentrate on saving their own two sons.
Hawley is a good writer, he really makes the reader empathetic to Paul's pain and anguish. He writes a great line, "Father and sons. What we wouldn't give to trade places with our boys, to absorb their suffering and ease their pain."
And yet here is my thought on that. Dr. Allen divorced Danny's mother because he couldn't take living with her anymore, that she may have suffered from depression. But he thought it was OK to leave his young son to be raised by her alone, while he starts a new life far away. Would it have been better for his son if he had his father around growing up? If he had made that sacrifice for his son, would things have turned out differently? I think that is something that Paul will have to live with for the rest of his life.
The Good Father haunts you with its sadness and despair, with a puzzling mystery thrown in. Did Danny kill the senator or was he a pawn in a conspiracy? It makes you uncomfortable, and gets you to think that you may not know your own child, the things he has gone through, what he is thinking. I do like that we get to see what Danny has gone through the past few years, and how he got to where he sadly ended up.
July 9, 2025
This is a very intense and uncomfortable read that examines the impact of choices parents make on the psyche of their children and what happens when this impact leads to consequences that seem to leave no room for a second chance.
What do you do when the son you left behind because you moved to the other side of the country after a divorce,is accused of shooting at a man who is touted to be the next President of the country; a much loved man and a revered hero of the nation? This is the terrible question Dr Paul Allen has to face in this gripping, psychological drama.
An affluent and renowned rheumatologist, Paul is happy in his second marriage with an understanding wife and twin sons. Life as he knows it is permanently shattered when he learns from the breaking news on his TV screen and the Secret Service agents knocking on his door, that Daniel, his 20 yo son from his first marriage has shot at a Presidential candidate and is in custody. His first reaction is to deny the possibility of his son being involved and run to him to protect him in every way he can. He is certain that there has been some mistake and he tries to learn all he can about what happened so he can prove his son innocent. However, in the face of mounting evidence of Daniel's alleged guilt, he is forced to consider the horrible possibility that he did not know his son as well as he thought he did. This leads to an analysis of Danny's childhood and teenage years and what could have led to him being involved in the kind of violent act he is being accused of.
While Paul is sure that he has been a good father even though he has not spent much time with Danny since he was 7, his examination of the years since tell a different story. A child who from the age of 7, was forced to shuttle between his parents who made no secret of their hate for each other and endure long flights by himself, Danny grew up to be a lonely child and a bit of a drifter who quit college in 6 months and chose to travel around the country. We get to know his journey from Paul, and also by following him as he makes his way from place to place and via a journal he maintains.
It's clear from Paul's recollections that he was telling himself everything was fine because there was nothing obviously wrong but the fact was that he had been neglectful of his son while pursuing his career and enjoying his new relationship. His current wife comes across as a person who accepted Danny and was good to him but nevertheless wants Paul to make a choice between Danny and his new family, an impossible choice. Paul himself, even while desperate to find out why his son will not tell him what happened or deny the accusations against him, keeps worrying about the impact of all this on his present family and marriage. It seems like he had 'moved on'and he recognises this in the way he sees himself with his two younger children and realises all the things that he never did with Danny.
While none of this condones the violence Danny is accused of, he comes across as such a lost child, looking to belong and be loved that I wanted to reach in and hug him many times. It was so unfortunate that his personality was in many ways shaped by his mostly absent father and a mother who loved him but was too distracted and dreamy.Paul keeps telling himself that no matter what, there are so many kids who are the product of broken homes and not all are caught up in such situations but the fact that his conscience pricks him whenever he thinks back on their lives post divorce tells a different truth he cannot deny.
A child like Danny who cried when the neighbour's cat died and would not kill even spiders could not possibly have committed a cold blooded act like shooting a man could he? The question of whether he is responsible is not at the centre of the book though Paul struggles to find any other explanation. The focus is on the aftermath of what he is accused of and in the face of it, whether Paul was a good father to him.
It is written in a very interesting way with Paul going about analysing the problem just as he would diagnose a patient of his by examining the symptoms. He shares a lot of scientific facts as he goes along and there are also a lot of details of famous killers included as he hopes against hope that his son has not joined their ranks.
This is a book about self awareness and recognising mistakes made even inadvertently and worrying that it is too late to correct them. I empathized with Paul as a fellow parent because of the unbelievable situation he was in but I felt the most for Daniel who showed glimpses of the caring, wonderful person he could go on to be as he worked his way around the country and formed relationships with those he met and kept looking for a place where he felt accepted and as if he had the right to be just himself.
It is a tough and moving read as a lot of tough reckoning happens but the way it is presented was amazing.
What do you do when the son you left behind because you moved to the other side of the country after a divorce,is accused of shooting at a man who is touted to be the next President of the country; a much loved man and a revered hero of the nation? This is the terrible question Dr Paul Allen has to face in this gripping, psychological drama.
An affluent and renowned rheumatologist, Paul is happy in his second marriage with an understanding wife and twin sons. Life as he knows it is permanently shattered when he learns from the breaking news on his TV screen and the Secret Service agents knocking on his door, that Daniel, his 20 yo son from his first marriage has shot at a Presidential candidate and is in custody. His first reaction is to deny the possibility of his son being involved and run to him to protect him in every way he can. He is certain that there has been some mistake and he tries to learn all he can about what happened so he can prove his son innocent. However, in the face of mounting evidence of Daniel's alleged guilt, he is forced to consider the horrible possibility that he did not know his son as well as he thought he did. This leads to an analysis of Danny's childhood and teenage years and what could have led to him being involved in the kind of violent act he is being accused of.
While Paul is sure that he has been a good father even though he has not spent much time with Danny since he was 7, his examination of the years since tell a different story. A child who from the age of 7, was forced to shuttle between his parents who made no secret of their hate for each other and endure long flights by himself, Danny grew up to be a lonely child and a bit of a drifter who quit college in 6 months and chose to travel around the country. We get to know his journey from Paul, and also by following him as he makes his way from place to place and via a journal he maintains.
It's clear from Paul's recollections that he was telling himself everything was fine because there was nothing obviously wrong but the fact was that he had been neglectful of his son while pursuing his career and enjoying his new relationship. His current wife comes across as a person who accepted Danny and was good to him but nevertheless wants Paul to make a choice between Danny and his new family, an impossible choice. Paul himself, even while desperate to find out why his son will not tell him what happened or deny the accusations against him, keeps worrying about the impact of all this on his present family and marriage. It seems like he had 'moved on'and he recognises this in the way he sees himself with his two younger children and realises all the things that he never did with Danny.
While none of this condones the violence Danny is accused of, he comes across as such a lost child, looking to belong and be loved that I wanted to reach in and hug him many times. It was so unfortunate that his personality was in many ways shaped by his mostly absent father and a mother who loved him but was too distracted and dreamy.Paul keeps telling himself that no matter what, there are so many kids who are the product of broken homes and not all are caught up in such situations but the fact that his conscience pricks him whenever he thinks back on their lives post divorce tells a different truth he cannot deny.
A child like Danny who cried when the neighbour's cat died and would not kill even spiders could not possibly have committed a cold blooded act like shooting a man could he? The question of whether he is responsible is not at the centre of the book though Paul struggles to find any other explanation. The focus is on the aftermath of what he is accused of and in the face of it, whether Paul was a good father to him.
It is written in a very interesting way with Paul going about analysing the problem just as he would diagnose a patient of his by examining the symptoms. He shares a lot of scientific facts as he goes along and there are also a lot of details of famous killers included as he hopes against hope that his son has not joined their ranks.
This is a book about self awareness and recognising mistakes made even inadvertently and worrying that it is too late to correct them. I empathized with Paul as a fellow parent because of the unbelievable situation he was in but I felt the most for Daniel who showed glimpses of the caring, wonderful person he could go on to be as he worked his way around the country and formed relationships with those he met and kept looking for a place where he felt accepted and as if he had the right to be just himself.
It is a tough and moving read as a lot of tough reckoning happens but the way it is presented was amazing.
May 12, 2013
I am always very open-minded about the books I read but this one just didn’t comply with what it said on the tin for me and proved to be a disappointment all the way.
On the premise that this was meant to be bloody damn good read (if a plethora of reviews are anything to go by – (and yes, I know that reviews are not ‘god’)), this book just didn’t really do it for me from the offset. If I can put it down to anything, in my own head the characterisation just wasn’t right and the father and son protagonists were just not believable or authentic for me.
The father Dr Paul Allen starts of the narration of the book as just another regular American dad of a disjointed but happy family. He lives in Westport Connecticut with his second wife and ten year old twins. As far as he knows his son Daniel from his first marriage is travelling around the States, until he suddenly and shockingly finds out that Daniel is prime suspect for the assassination of the front-running American presidential candidate at a rally in Los Angeles.
What follows from the opening chapters of the book is a series of ruminations and reflections of what it is to be a family and on what it takes to raise a murderer. Does nature or nature prevail or is a murderer’s psychological profile just down to chance? Yada, yada so yes, like some critics chart, the chimes with Lionel Shriver’s ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ are indeed rife. Ding dong.
I know books like this are meant to be serious and poignant but, for me, the read seemed too formulaic and predictable. Dr Allen seems to spend three quarters of the book in denying away the possibility of his own son committing such a crime with the last quarter or so coming around to the fact that his son is indeed guilty. There are no plot twists as such and, as a result, it lacks any passion not to mention real conviction. The tone is generally quite passive and this has the effect of making the whole story seem quite naive.
As far as the writing goes, I would say that Hawley is more than capable of structuring meaning and paragraphs and, at times, has a nice, poetic turn of phrase when some of his characters analyse and start to understand ‘life’.
Ultimately though, it was a lame book for me and proved to be one where the reading ticked over but without any great passion or compulsion to get to the end.
Overrated books are such a let-down!!
On the premise that this was meant to be bloody damn good read (if a plethora of reviews are anything to go by – (and yes, I know that reviews are not ‘god’)), this book just didn’t really do it for me from the offset. If I can put it down to anything, in my own head the characterisation just wasn’t right and the father and son protagonists were just not believable or authentic for me.
The father Dr Paul Allen starts of the narration of the book as just another regular American dad of a disjointed but happy family. He lives in Westport Connecticut with his second wife and ten year old twins. As far as he knows his son Daniel from his first marriage is travelling around the States, until he suddenly and shockingly finds out that Daniel is prime suspect for the assassination of the front-running American presidential candidate at a rally in Los Angeles.
What follows from the opening chapters of the book is a series of ruminations and reflections of what it is to be a family and on what it takes to raise a murderer. Does nature or nature prevail or is a murderer’s psychological profile just down to chance? Yada, yada so yes, like some critics chart, the chimes with Lionel Shriver’s ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ are indeed rife. Ding dong.
I know books like this are meant to be serious and poignant but, for me, the read seemed too formulaic and predictable. Dr Allen seems to spend three quarters of the book in denying away the possibility of his own son committing such a crime with the last quarter or so coming around to the fact that his son is indeed guilty. There are no plot twists as such and, as a result, it lacks any passion not to mention real conviction. The tone is generally quite passive and this has the effect of making the whole story seem quite naive.
As far as the writing goes, I would say that Hawley is more than capable of structuring meaning and paragraphs and, at times, has a nice, poetic turn of phrase when some of his characters analyse and start to understand ‘life’.
Ultimately though, it was a lame book for me and proved to be one where the reading ticked over but without any great passion or compulsion to get to the end.
Overrated books are such a let-down!!
November 9, 2016
Interesante como Noah Hawley aprovecha un relato de ficción para de paso disertar sobre diferentes asesinos en serie e incluso para recordarnos diversos atentados contra la vida del presidente de los EEUU a lo largo de la historia. Creo que lo hace de forma magistral, porque, sin perder el hilo de la narración, nos recuerda estos eventos que sirven para iluminar si no el porqué, por lo menos el cómo y el cuándo.
Todo ello sirve de aderezo a una historia desgarradora. La de un padre que de la noche a la mañana ve su mundo hecho trizas ante el terrible acto que acaba de cometer su hijo, un acto ante el cuál, y pese a que todas las evidencias apuntan a que es una batalla perdida, reaccionará como cualquier padre que se vea desbordado e incrédulo ante lo que considera una siniestra pesadilla, con una negación total de los hechos por inasumibles, y que terminarán con una cruzada personal, a costa de destrozar al resto de su familia, en la que intentará demostrar que todo forma parte de una conspiración en la que su hijo sólo juega de peón.
El desarrollo de esta cruzada personal, a fuer de terminar por deshacer la poca dignidad que le pueda quedar, junto con las historias entrelazadas de antecedentes históricos similares han hecho que disfrute enormemente con su lectura. Además, pensé que el final me iba a decepcionar, y no lo ha hecho en absoluto. El autor prefiere terminar su obra de una forma creíble, en vez de una forma feliz.
Su lectura me ha coincidido con la actual campaña electoral americana, que tan funestos resultados ha obtenido. Como reflexión final diré que el candidato asesinado en la novela, con todos sus fallos, hubiera sido inmensamente superior a cualquiera de los dos propuestos tanto por los Demócratas como por los Republicanos. Es lo que hay.
Todo ello sirve de aderezo a una historia desgarradora. La de un padre que de la noche a la mañana ve su mundo hecho trizas ante el terrible acto que acaba de cometer su hijo, un acto ante el cuál, y pese a que todas las evidencias apuntan a que es una batalla perdida, reaccionará como cualquier padre que se vea desbordado e incrédulo ante lo que considera una siniestra pesadilla, con una negación total de los hechos por inasumibles, y que terminarán con una cruzada personal, a costa de destrozar al resto de su familia, en la que intentará demostrar que todo forma parte de una conspiración en la que su hijo sólo juega de peón.
El desarrollo de esta cruzada personal, a fuer de terminar por deshacer la poca dignidad que le pueda quedar, junto con las historias entrelazadas de antecedentes históricos similares han hecho que disfrute enormemente con su lectura. Además, pensé que el final me iba a decepcionar, y no lo ha hecho en absoluto. El autor prefiere terminar su obra de una forma creíble, en vez de una forma feliz.
Su lectura me ha coincidido con la actual campaña electoral americana, que tan funestos resultados ha obtenido. Como reflexión final diré que el candidato asesinado en la novela, con todos sus fallos, hubiera sido inmensamente superior a cualquiera de los dos propuestos tanto por los Demócratas como por los Republicanos. Es lo que hay.
May 2, 2012
In the same vain as books such as We need to talk about Kevin, The Good Father explores the consequences of the assassination of a presidential candidate on the family of the perpetrator, in particular his father. Senator Seagram is gunned down by 20 year old Daniel Allen and along with his death goes the hope and optimism of millions of disillusioned Americans. For Daniel’s father the tragedy is far, far greater and he finds cannot acknowledge his son’s responsibility or accept that his son could be capable of such a heinous crime. Along with the help of his attorney he embarks on his own investigations determined to uncover some sort of conspiracy or set up that will prove his son's innocence.
I have to say I love a good nurture/nature debate and novels that explore the issue are high on my radar. The Good Father succeeded in getting across the complete and utter desperation a parent must feel when their child commits such a crime and the novel is really a journey of self discovery as Daniel’s father struggles with the process of accepting the loss of his son. The book raises many challenging questions and quite frankly I struggle to think of a worse predicament for a parent. This is not an uplifting read but I’m glad I read it.
I have to say I love a good nurture/nature debate and novels that explore the issue are high on my radar. The Good Father succeeded in getting across the complete and utter desperation a parent must feel when their child commits such a crime and the novel is really a journey of self discovery as Daniel’s father struggles with the process of accepting the loss of his son. The book raises many challenging questions and quite frankly I struggle to think of a worse predicament for a parent. This is not an uplifting read but I’m glad I read it.
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