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Who's in Control? #2
The Illustrator's Daughter
What is any parent’s greatest fear?
“From the award winning author of Portico, comes a novel that will challenge everything you thought you knew about your relationships.”
Loving parents. A brand new baby girl. They should have been a ideal young family.
It doesn’t always turn out that way.
Matt Carron is desperate not to lose his perfect wife.
But he can’t hide his jealousy when his daughter is born.
The baby takes up all of his wife’s attention, leaving nothing left for him.
As Minnie becomes a toddler, he’s driven crazy by her tantrums. When she gets a jigsaw wrong. When she won’t listen to his bedtime stories. When she won’t eat what he feeds her. When he has to pin her to the ground so hard she bruises her arms.
When she reaches her pre-teens, Minnie is stubborn and argumentative. But every mother is bound to side with her own daughter, isn’t she?
Any sign he resents his daughter, or can’t cope with her behaviour, might lead to their leaving him.
So when Minnie becomes seriously ill, it’s best that Matt tries to hide his fears. And follow his wife down a desperate path.
At least until he comes to terms with the unbearable choice he’s been avoiding for twelve years.
His daughter, or his wife?
The Illustrator’s Daughter is a heart-wrenching novel about the deep challenges any of our relationships might face, living with the decisions we make, and choosing between unbearable futures.
“From the award winning author of Portico, comes a novel that will challenge everything you thought you knew about your relationships.”
Loving parents. A brand new baby girl. They should have been a ideal young family.
It doesn’t always turn out that way.
Matt Carron is desperate not to lose his perfect wife.
But he can’t hide his jealousy when his daughter is born.
The baby takes up all of his wife’s attention, leaving nothing left for him.
As Minnie becomes a toddler, he’s driven crazy by her tantrums. When she gets a jigsaw wrong. When she won’t listen to his bedtime stories. When she won’t eat what he feeds her. When he has to pin her to the ground so hard she bruises her arms.
When she reaches her pre-teens, Minnie is stubborn and argumentative. But every mother is bound to side with her own daughter, isn’t she?
Any sign he resents his daughter, or can’t cope with her behaviour, might lead to their leaving him.
So when Minnie becomes seriously ill, it’s best that Matt tries to hide his fears. And follow his wife down a desperate path.
At least until he comes to terms with the unbearable choice he’s been avoiding for twelve years.
His daughter, or his wife?
The Illustrator’s Daughter is a heart-wrenching novel about the deep challenges any of our relationships might face, living with the decisions we make, and choosing between unbearable futures.
476 pages, Paperback
Published May 3, 2021
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Gideon Burrows
33 books24 followersGideon Burrows is an award winning author of novels and non-fiction books that aim to make you uncomfortable, allow you recover, and then make you feel completely refreshed.
Or else guilty. Or exhilarated. Or maybe a combination of these things.
Like taking a cold shower.
His near future novels, including Future Shop and Portico, tackle the challenging world of the near future: how social media, the metaverse, virtual reality, multi-player games and more may be sending us to hell. You'll never let your kids on the internet again.
His contemporary novels, including The Illustrator's Daughter and The Spiral, are about families and individuals in difficult situations: whether facing brake-ups, illness, prejudice, mental health breakdown or domestic violence. Through challenging our fundamental believes and values, he aims to make every reader think about their own comfortable lives.
As G D Burrows, he writes action fiction about ninjas. Awesome ninjas, who wear cool ninja gowns, have high tech ninja weapons, and take on the bad guys with their super martial arts skills and techniques. Think James Bond or Jack Reacher – but in full ninja garb, and based in London's East End. That kind of thing.
Gideon is really interested in the future and new technology, as well as science and rationalism. He's written two non-fiction books on the metaverse, and three books on cancer, including This Book Won't Cure Your Cancer, challenging society's assumptions when it comes to the disease.
He trained as a journalist and spent 10 years writing for major UK newspapers and magazines, and then running a copywriting agency.
Gideon is married, lives in east London with three children, and hundreds of worms. He's a keen cyclist, a qualified cycle mechanic and his home office is Pret a Manger.
He loves travelling on trains, eating Indian and Chinese food, and might actually be a ninja at night.
Like everyone else in the world, he drinks lots of coffee and loves the smell of new, unsullied stationery.
Gideon loves giving stuff away.
You'll always find something free at his website, www.gideon-burrows.com, where you can also join his Reader's Club.
Or else guilty. Or exhilarated. Or maybe a combination of these things.
Like taking a cold shower.
His near future novels, including Future Shop and Portico, tackle the challenging world of the near future: how social media, the metaverse, virtual reality, multi-player games and more may be sending us to hell. You'll never let your kids on the internet again.
His contemporary novels, including The Illustrator's Daughter and The Spiral, are about families and individuals in difficult situations: whether facing brake-ups, illness, prejudice, mental health breakdown or domestic violence. Through challenging our fundamental believes and values, he aims to make every reader think about their own comfortable lives.
As G D Burrows, he writes action fiction about ninjas. Awesome ninjas, who wear cool ninja gowns, have high tech ninja weapons, and take on the bad guys with their super martial arts skills and techniques. Think James Bond or Jack Reacher – but in full ninja garb, and based in London's East End. That kind of thing.
Gideon is really interested in the future and new technology, as well as science and rationalism. He's written two non-fiction books on the metaverse, and three books on cancer, including This Book Won't Cure Your Cancer, challenging society's assumptions when it comes to the disease.
He trained as a journalist and spent 10 years writing for major UK newspapers and magazines, and then running a copywriting agency.
Gideon is married, lives in east London with three children, and hundreds of worms. He's a keen cyclist, a qualified cycle mechanic and his home office is Pret a Manger.
He loves travelling on trains, eating Indian and Chinese food, and might actually be a ninja at night.
Like everyone else in the world, he drinks lots of coffee and loves the smell of new, unsullied stationery.
Gideon loves giving stuff away.
You'll always find something free at his website, www.gideon-burrows.com, where you can also join his Reader's Club.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 3, 2022
This is the second book I've read recently that chewed me up and spit me out and I'm totally drained. I think I better search out a pleasant little rom-com and give my breaking heart a rest.
Although this book was published in May 2021 I had never heard of it until it popped up as Read Now on Netgalley a couple of months ago. Also, I'm not familiar with the author but now I'm interested in checking out some of the other books in his 'Who's in Control?' series.
The Illustrator's Daughter is a narration by Matt Carron to his daughter Minnie in the form of a memoir and follows his relationship with her from her birth, through her childhood until age 12 when she becomes seriously ill. I was a bit disappointed that some reviews specify the nature of her illness. I think I would rather have learned about it along with the family even though I had my suspicions. If you're of a like mind, hold off reading other reviews until you're done the book.
Oh my gosh, again I don't know how to review this. It's totally different but extremely well-written and I was fully engaged by the story. Matt is the main caregiver for Minnie so you would expect them to have a closer bond. Not necessarily. Parts of the book are hard to read and some occurrences made me seethe at Matt's treatment of Minnie. His wife Karren (no wonder she kept her maiden name - Karren Carron? I don't think so!) appears to know exactly how to appease and/or manipulate Matt. It was very sad to read about the family's experiences with the NHS and I really hope it's not indicative of the system in reality. Many layers and many themes explored and I switched allegiances many times. It's not a book I'd recommend to everyone but if you have the mental fortitude you won't regret it.
It's a rather long book (close to 500 pages I think) and the chapters are longer than I normally like but I read it pretty quickly. Towards the end, the last 30% or so, there seemed to be quite a few editing errors that should've been caught before now but that's just a minor distraction. Maybe I just didn't notice them in the beginning.
My thanks to BooksGoSocial via Netgalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
Although this book was published in May 2021 I had never heard of it until it popped up as Read Now on Netgalley a couple of months ago. Also, I'm not familiar with the author but now I'm interested in checking out some of the other books in his 'Who's in Control?' series.
The Illustrator's Daughter is a narration by Matt Carron to his daughter Minnie in the form of a memoir and follows his relationship with her from her birth, through her childhood until age 12 when she becomes seriously ill. I was a bit disappointed that some reviews specify the nature of her illness. I think I would rather have learned about it along with the family even though I had my suspicions. If you're of a like mind, hold off reading other reviews until you're done the book.
Oh my gosh, again I don't know how to review this. It's totally different but extremely well-written and I was fully engaged by the story. Matt is the main caregiver for Minnie so you would expect them to have a closer bond. Not necessarily. Parts of the book are hard to read and some occurrences made me seethe at Matt's treatment of Minnie. His wife Karren (no wonder she kept her maiden name - Karren Carron? I don't think so!) appears to know exactly how to appease and/or manipulate Matt. It was very sad to read about the family's experiences with the NHS and I really hope it's not indicative of the system in reality. Many layers and many themes explored and I switched allegiances many times. It's not a book I'd recommend to everyone but if you have the mental fortitude you won't regret it.
It's a rather long book (close to 500 pages I think) and the chapters are longer than I normally like but I read it pretty quickly. Towards the end, the last 30% or so, there seemed to be quite a few editing errors that should've been caught before now but that's just a minor distraction. Maybe I just didn't notice them in the beginning.
My thanks to BooksGoSocial via Netgalley for the opportunity to read a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed are my own.
July 12, 2022
What attracted me in this book was the title and the fact that I read other books by this author (Locked In and Future Shop) that show he has a very distinctive voice and original ideas. I was a bit reluctant to read it because of the theme but I was glad I did. The story of Matt, Karren and Minnie is heart wrenching, even for someone without children like me. Gideon Burrows knows perfectly well how to grab the readers’ attention and keep it throughout the story. This book has multiple layers and gives you something to think about.
Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this review copy.
Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this review copy.
May 30, 2022
Be warned you are going to need a box of tissues.
OMG this is one heartbraking read. Matt and Karren have just become a family with the birth of their daughter Minnie. Karren has a difficult birth and finds it hard to bond with screaming little bundle that has invaded their lives. So Matt becomes the care giver to both wife and baby. Matt loves his wife so much and wants their life back before the baby. Infact he is jealous and at times resentful of this invader. Karren goes back to work and Matt is now a stay at home dad. As soon as Karren comes home from work she only has eyes for her daughter. In the early years of Minnies life Matt begins to spiral downwards and his mental health begins to suffer. I found this part difficult to read and had to walk away. When Minnie turns twelve and has just entered womanhood everything changes for mum and dad as they soon realise that Minnie is now a very sick girl. Can their marriage survive and are they strong enough to deal with cards they have been dealt???
As I said this was a difficult read at times. I have shouted at the characters and I have cried with them . Infact this read has brought out the gamit of all my emotions. This author has put his heart and and soul, Blood, sweat and tears into this book. The best I have read by this author. I am emotionally drained. This is the first book I have read that has invaded my daily thoughts long after I have turned the last page.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.
OMG this is one heartbraking read. Matt and Karren have just become a family with the birth of their daughter Minnie. Karren has a difficult birth and finds it hard to bond with screaming little bundle that has invaded their lives. So Matt becomes the care giver to both wife and baby. Matt loves his wife so much and wants their life back before the baby. Infact he is jealous and at times resentful of this invader. Karren goes back to work and Matt is now a stay at home dad. As soon as Karren comes home from work she only has eyes for her daughter. In the early years of Minnies life Matt begins to spiral downwards and his mental health begins to suffer. I found this part difficult to read and had to walk away. When Minnie turns twelve and has just entered womanhood everything changes for mum and dad as they soon realise that Minnie is now a very sick girl. Can their marriage survive and are they strong enough to deal with cards they have been dealt???
As I said this was a difficult read at times. I have shouted at the characters and I have cried with them . Infact this read has brought out the gamit of all my emotions. This author has put his heart and and soul, Blood, sweat and tears into this book. The best I have read by this author. I am emotionally drained. This is the first book I have read that has invaded my daily thoughts long after I have turned the last page.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.
July 1, 2022
This was my first time reading a book by Gideon Burrows. If I’m being honest, I had never heard of him before. I was scrolling through the Read Now section on NetGalley when the cover of his book caught my eye. The Illustrator’s Daughter sounded pretty good so I took a chance. I’m really glad that I did. I have to admit, the storyline is not like I thought it was going to be when I decided to read it. I actually thought that the father was going to be some abusive father because he was jealous of his child. It was not like that at all. This was a story about a married couple that have a daughter that ends up with leukemia. The story is told by Matt Carron, the father, and he’s telling it to his daughter, Minnie. In the beginning, I didn’t care for Matt. I thought he was jealous of Minnie, that she was taking attention away from his and his wife Karren’s relationship. But then I realized Matt was the better parent. Karren suffered from postpartum depression and left all of Minnies care in Matt’s hands. She was pretty much an absent parent throughout Minnies entire life. I felt she was the selfish one. This is a very sad story about childhood cancers. I got very emotional in parts, reading about everything that Minnie had to endure. It did make her and her father become very close. This might be a hard read for some people so you should really be aware of what it’s about before starting it. It showed how there are places and people out there that will scam you out of money with fake promises of being able to cure the leukemia. This was a really heartbreaking story but it’s one I’d recommend to others. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc. I’m glad to have found a new author to read and enjoy and I’m giving this a 5 star rating.
May 21, 2022
Tissues & Hugs Please! 😳😯🤯😭🤧
Wholy skittles! This book just tore me absolutely, completely, inside-out apart! This is some tough subject matter in the beginning, but the heart of the plot that comes after is indispensable. The utmost pain & anguish a parent(s) can experience watching their child go through such an incredible ordeal that is an illness.
Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Matt and his wife Karren have finally had a daughter, Minnie, and it hasn't been easy from the beginning. But Matt has loved his wife so much that now with a child in the picture, he's jealous of the attention Minnie gets. He finds it harder and harder as Minnie gets older, to deal with her tantrums, attitude, and just being plain difficult. Matt desperately tries to appease his wife and daughter for fear of them leaving him due to his quick reactions. But when Minnie turns 12 and has just entered womanhood, all of that fades away when she becomes very, very ill. Can this marriage survive, despite the differences, the different beliefs, views and how to handle the ordeal that is being dealt. Can any family survive as long as they stay together and love?
I don't know how, but Burrows managed to provoke so many emotions out of me with this book ranging from anger, irritation, to sympathy, love and hope. This novel is intense, strong, & fierce, but it teaches you so much & the suspense it gives is so heart-tightening. Wow! This has to be my favourite by him. The ending was so well done and all of the subject matter handed so delicately. Needless to say I'm suffering immense book hangover. I think I need a tea and dog cuddles now. Have tissues. Lots of tissues!
🔴 Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse; Male Anger; Child with Illness
Thank you to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for this ARC.
Release Date: Out Now!
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 5 / 5 Lilies! 🪷
Wholy skittles! This book just tore me absolutely, completely, inside-out apart! This is some tough subject matter in the beginning, but the heart of the plot that comes after is indispensable. The utmost pain & anguish a parent(s) can experience watching their child go through such an incredible ordeal that is an illness.
Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Matt and his wife Karren have finally had a daughter, Minnie, and it hasn't been easy from the beginning. But Matt has loved his wife so much that now with a child in the picture, he's jealous of the attention Minnie gets. He finds it harder and harder as Minnie gets older, to deal with her tantrums, attitude, and just being plain difficult. Matt desperately tries to appease his wife and daughter for fear of them leaving him due to his quick reactions. But when Minnie turns 12 and has just entered womanhood, all of that fades away when she becomes very, very ill. Can this marriage survive, despite the differences, the different beliefs, views and how to handle the ordeal that is being dealt. Can any family survive as long as they stay together and love?
I don't know how, but Burrows managed to provoke so many emotions out of me with this book ranging from anger, irritation, to sympathy, love and hope. This novel is intense, strong, & fierce, but it teaches you so much & the suspense it gives is so heart-tightening. Wow! This has to be my favourite by him. The ending was so well done and all of the subject matter handed so delicately. Needless to say I'm suffering immense book hangover. I think I need a tea and dog cuddles now. Have tissues. Lots of tissues!
🔴 Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse; Male Anger; Child with Illness
Thank you to NetGalley & BooksGoSocial for this ARC.
Release Date: Out Now!
𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 5 / 5 Lilies! 🪷
June 25, 2022
This is my second book by Gideon Burrows. It's a cancer story but not as you know it. It's in the voice of the male protagonist, Matt Carron, but addressed to his daughter. For the first half of the book I hated him. He's a self-indulgent, whiny man-baby who goes full Oedipus when he and his wife Karren Griffin have their first child, Minnie. He competes with his baby daughter for attention: "You've caused enough friction with your moods, your stubbornness. It is tearing me and your mum apart. But I will fight for her. And you will lose." Matt's parenting is performative, rather than heartfelt: "I turned my back while she pulled them up to your waist. That felt quite good. Like the right thing for a dad to do." He isn't much better to his wife, Karren Griffin, who he manipulates and measures: "'Can I have a hug?' She leant over and let me hold her. She didn't release your hand, so it wasn't a full hug."
When Minnie is diagnosed with blood cancer, something shifts in who you empathise with in this family at war. Karren withdraws from her daughter and disengages with her previous views on medical science, and Matt steps up, realises he's been a bit of a knob to his wife and daughter, and develops some actual feelings for one of them: "And I see you here, Minnie, talking to me. Being so rational. Understanding. Not emotional, not a wreck like your mum." Well I didn't say he became likeable exactly... he's still a douche to his wife, discussing her despair in callous terms: "She then went to the lounge, presumably to misery surf."
Watching this embattled family who were imperfect and struggling to relate to each other in the first place go through abortion, childhood cancer, and accessing experimental drugs in another country feels a lot closer to the reality that normal families face when beset by the same problems. They're shit at it, and each other, and these circumstances would stretch even the strongest of bonds. I was surprised by the writer's ability to manipulate my emotions from hating to empathising with the characters, and to keep me reading eagerly in a genre I'd normally poo-poo.
With thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for sending me a copy to read.
When Minnie is diagnosed with blood cancer, something shifts in who you empathise with in this family at war. Karren withdraws from her daughter and disengages with her previous views on medical science, and Matt steps up, realises he's been a bit of a knob to his wife and daughter, and develops some actual feelings for one of them: "And I see you here, Minnie, talking to me. Being so rational. Understanding. Not emotional, not a wreck like your mum." Well I didn't say he became likeable exactly... he's still a douche to his wife, discussing her despair in callous terms: "She then went to the lounge, presumably to misery surf."
Watching this embattled family who were imperfect and struggling to relate to each other in the first place go through abortion, childhood cancer, and accessing experimental drugs in another country feels a lot closer to the reality that normal families face when beset by the same problems. They're shit at it, and each other, and these circumstances would stretch even the strongest of bonds. I was surprised by the writer's ability to manipulate my emotions from hating to empathising with the characters, and to keep me reading eagerly in a genre I'd normally poo-poo.
With thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for sending me a copy to read.
June 13, 2022
This story is incredible. A roller-coaster from start to finish. The characters were well written. They were flawed. They felt like people you could know
June 13, 2022
When Matt Carton and Karren Griffen have their first child Minnie, their lives were meant to come together on blissful, familial harmony.
But real life isn't like that. In fact it ca be more like a nightmare. A difficult and agonising birth that leads the mother into an apathetic post-natal depression. A first-time father who is left to struggle to bring up his child without the support of the mother, and with no natural gifts in understanding the ways of small children. Who is jealous of the attention his daughter received over him and feels squeezed out of the exclusive lobe he once felt with his wife. Who, whilst still loving his daughter deeply has little natural empathy, and is impatient, with enough of a temper to leave bruise marks on her hands as he tries to restrain her when she won't cooperate with getting dressed or playing with a jigsaw. Matt is sometimes not the most reliable of narrators, but the interior horrors of family dysfunction are too well painted with their trademark dreary colours.
The baby, named after Minnie Mouse, grows into a rude and difficult young girl. At 12, her father realises with her horrific first period, that something is very wrong with Minnie, though it takes her doctors too long to recognise it also. Minnie has leukaemia.
What then follows is the roller coaster of uncertainty, hope and disappointment, then the clutching of straws, a family surely goes through whenever a child is struck down with a life-threatening disease. The doctor they liked moves away, the health service drops the ball, there are the doctors who behave with utter insensitivity. The strains already existing with the marriage become chasms, they have different ways of coping.
Then they hear of a possible new treatment abroad that might be able to save Minnie. But can they raise enough money to get there? And is this new treatment valid anyway?
This makes for a desperate and harrowing read, the parents of any sick child will most certainly be able to relate to the things this family go through. There is, however, closure of a sort at the end. The strength of the novel comes through the emotional depths the writer is able to bring to the telling, aling with the internal conflicts of this narrator, which is why this novel is given five stars
But real life isn't like that. In fact it ca be more like a nightmare. A difficult and agonising birth that leads the mother into an apathetic post-natal depression. A first-time father who is left to struggle to bring up his child without the support of the mother, and with no natural gifts in understanding the ways of small children. Who is jealous of the attention his daughter received over him and feels squeezed out of the exclusive lobe he once felt with his wife. Who, whilst still loving his daughter deeply has little natural empathy, and is impatient, with enough of a temper to leave bruise marks on her hands as he tries to restrain her when she won't cooperate with getting dressed or playing with a jigsaw. Matt is sometimes not the most reliable of narrators, but the interior horrors of family dysfunction are too well painted with their trademark dreary colours.
The baby, named after Minnie Mouse, grows into a rude and difficult young girl. At 12, her father realises with her horrific first period, that something is very wrong with Minnie, though it takes her doctors too long to recognise it also. Minnie has leukaemia.
What then follows is the roller coaster of uncertainty, hope and disappointment, then the clutching of straws, a family surely goes through whenever a child is struck down with a life-threatening disease. The doctor they liked moves away, the health service drops the ball, there are the doctors who behave with utter insensitivity. The strains already existing with the marriage become chasms, they have different ways of coping.
Then they hear of a possible new treatment abroad that might be able to save Minnie. But can they raise enough money to get there? And is this new treatment valid anyway?
This makes for a desperate and harrowing read, the parents of any sick child will most certainly be able to relate to the things this family go through. There is, however, closure of a sort at the end. The strength of the novel comes through the emotional depths the writer is able to bring to the telling, aling with the internal conflicts of this narrator, which is why this novel is given five stars
July 20, 2022
Now THIS is what you call a page turner!
I honestly don't think I have read a book that has made me feel every emotion going and feel them so strongly.
I questioned whether it was because I am a Mum.. the answer was 'yes 100%'. Only a parent would truly get the emotions that I am trying to explain that this book evokes.. that raw animal instinct of protecting your child at all costs.... even it is is from the other parent or even yourself!
If you were to ask any parent what their worst fear was, I guarantee 100% would say their child dying. Now imagine being told your child is terminally ill but at the same time not being on the same path of reasoning as your partner.
The attention to detail within this storyline is sublime, everything flows so seamlessly and its evident the amount of research that has gone into it.
One thing I loved was that this wasn't a story about a hero with a perfect happy ending, there were no perfect characters that you cheered for from the very start. I LOATHED the father Matt from the beginning but by the time it hit over halfway you start wanting to support him *NO SPOILERS*
The storyline covers and touches on many subjects that can be hard to read at times but they are brilliantly written and used in the perfect context. Postnatal depression/post partum depression, child abuse, medical negligence, coercive abuse .. it's all there with bells on.
Basically tops from the POV of Matt, the father, this is his story and his experience of life from when his daughter arrives until the end.
Heartwrenching, unputdownable, and so unbelievably heartbreaking.
This is now the second book I have read by this author, the first being Locked In (review to come) and what an amazing talent he has, I've already added a whole load of his others to my TBR pile!
Huge thanks to netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC.
I honestly don't think I have read a book that has made me feel every emotion going and feel them so strongly.
I questioned whether it was because I am a Mum.. the answer was 'yes 100%'. Only a parent would truly get the emotions that I am trying to explain that this book evokes.. that raw animal instinct of protecting your child at all costs.... even it is is from the other parent or even yourself!
If you were to ask any parent what their worst fear was, I guarantee 100% would say their child dying. Now imagine being told your child is terminally ill but at the same time not being on the same path of reasoning as your partner.
The attention to detail within this storyline is sublime, everything flows so seamlessly and its evident the amount of research that has gone into it.
One thing I loved was that this wasn't a story about a hero with a perfect happy ending, there were no perfect characters that you cheered for from the very start. I LOATHED the father Matt from the beginning but by the time it hit over halfway you start wanting to support him *NO SPOILERS*
The storyline covers and touches on many subjects that can be hard to read at times but they are brilliantly written and used in the perfect context. Postnatal depression/post partum depression, child abuse, medical negligence, coercive abuse .. it's all there with bells on.
Basically tops from the POV of Matt, the father, this is his story and his experience of life from when his daughter arrives until the end.
Heartwrenching, unputdownable, and so unbelievably heartbreaking.
This is now the second book I have read by this author, the first being Locked In (review to come) and what an amazing talent he has, I've already added a whole load of his others to my TBR pile!
Huge thanks to netgalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC.
June 18, 2022
"The day you died was the best day of my life." With this line in the the opening paragraph, you can't help but have your interest peaked.
Matt Carron and Karron Griffen are new parents; the perfect family. Except their perfect world turns from bad to worse to desperate.
In the beginning of the novel, I disliked the characters. I found the parents (Matt and Karron) to be selfish and totally self absorbed, their child, Minnie, a holy terror - as the novel progressed my feelings changed, much as the characters changed as they dealt with Minnie's cancer.
The Illustrator's Daughter deals with the emotional upheaval of a new baby, a spoiled toddler, teen angst and a terminal illness. The changes in a marriage with a birth, balancing work/stay at home dad (who is a gig worker) and a child's critical illness. The hope, compromise, conflict, and deterioration of relationships when the stressors of life intrude.
Realistic read that will capture your interest.
Matt Carron and Karron Griffen are new parents; the perfect family. Except their perfect world turns from bad to worse to desperate.
In the beginning of the novel, I disliked the characters. I found the parents (Matt and Karron) to be selfish and totally self absorbed, their child, Minnie, a holy terror - as the novel progressed my feelings changed, much as the characters changed as they dealt with Minnie's cancer.
The Illustrator's Daughter deals with the emotional upheaval of a new baby, a spoiled toddler, teen angst and a terminal illness. The changes in a marriage with a birth, balancing work/stay at home dad (who is a gig worker) and a child's critical illness. The hope, compromise, conflict, and deterioration of relationships when the stressors of life intrude.
Realistic read that will capture your interest.
June 29, 2022
This book has one of those ‘sharp intake of breath’ wow factors on the very first page, so it immediately pulls you in and makes you want to read more. I love books that pique my interest from the beginning like that.
To begin with I absolutely loathed the main character Matt, he was obnoxious, selfish and an all round jerk (for jerk read a word that I don’t want to put into print, lol). The way he begrudged his baby daughter the attention she got, expecting that he should receive it instead was a little close to home for me, so it was, at times, a very uncomfortable read.
However in the second part of the book things change and you begin to see how adversity can be a trigger for that change. You see just how far a parent will go for their child.
A great read that I definitely recommend.
To begin with I absolutely loathed the main character Matt, he was obnoxious, selfish and an all round jerk (for jerk read a word that I don’t want to put into print, lol). The way he begrudged his baby daughter the attention she got, expecting that he should receive it instead was a little close to home for me, so it was, at times, a very uncomfortable read.
However in the second part of the book things change and you begin to see how adversity can be a trigger for that change. You see just how far a parent will go for their child.
A great read that I definitely recommend.
May 11, 2021
I've read a few of Gideon's books and have been struck by how easily he moves between genres. This is very different to his previous novel Portico but with the same attention to detail and characters.
In a beautiful way it explores the story of a family which is facing some very hard times and helps ask difficult questions about how we would react under similar circumstances.
I finished this book and then went to give my children a big kiss and hug.
In a beautiful way it explores the story of a family which is facing some very hard times and helps ask difficult questions about how we would react under similar circumstances.
I finished this book and then went to give my children a big kiss and hug.
July 24, 2022
I guess most parents can somehow relate to this father who's got his difficulties with his daughter, especially when the mother is falling deep into depression and when the daughter is growing up to be a gothic teen. But things get harder when Minnie gets a cancer diagnosis. What would you do to save your child? What does such a diagnosis do to the marriage of the parents?
I like that the whole book is written as if it were a letter to his daughter.
I like that the whole book is written as if it were a letter to his daughter.
May 30, 2022
#netgalley #theillustratorsdaughter I loved this book from start to finish, the more I read the more I wanted. Domestic thriller, childhood illness. All I can say is that you have to read this book. Very well written and I have now added this author to my favourites list. 5/5 stars
June 29, 2022
This is an unusual book in that it doesn’t make people heroes just because they are suffering. The ages characters - even the child - who are not particularly likeable and challenges us to empathise with their tragedies. I liked the writing style, but not the characters.
May 9, 2021
I read this in 2 sittings - and only because I had to stop to feed my family. Honest, heartbreaking and unputdownable.
January 5, 2022
A twist in the story
The story and characters were believable. Quick pace. Mood changed half way throughout book. True and sad what parents might experience with a child.
The story and characters were believable. Quick pace. Mood changed half way throughout book. True and sad what parents might experience with a child.
June 22, 2022
There's only one thing I can say a out this book and that's "wow". It's the second of Gideon books I've read and it certainly doesn't disappoint. It perfectly encompasses the feelings of a new parent and how Dad's often feel overlooked and neglected in the aftermath of the birth. The main characters feelings towards his new daughter are complex and at times make uncomfortable reading. However, as the novel progresses his feelings change and you realise just what a parent will do to save their child. Brilliant book.
August 10, 2025
Thank you, NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and Gideon Burrows for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review.
When the main character Matt Carson's daughter Minne was born he could not hide his jealousy towards his daughter because he believes his wife was stolen from him by her.
Things become more difficult as she grows older and her tantrums grow more frequent.
The family is now faced with the shocking news of their daughter's illness. Will their relationship endure the hardships or will it crumble under the pressure?
I was drawn to this book because of the author and the synopsis of the book. The book is written from the father's POV, it shows the father struggling through a wide range of emotions.
There were many elements I enjoyed in the book includes; psychology, parents' POV, and family dynamics. Finally, l didn't like the wife because I had gaslighting vibes from her throughout the book. The characters were dynamically written.
Suitable for readers of domestic psychological thrillers.
4.5⭐
When the main character Matt Carson's daughter Minne was born he could not hide his jealousy towards his daughter because he believes his wife was stolen from him by her.
Things become more difficult as she grows older and her tantrums grow more frequent.
The family is now faced with the shocking news of their daughter's illness. Will their relationship endure the hardships or will it crumble under the pressure?
I was drawn to this book because of the author and the synopsis of the book. The book is written from the father's POV, it shows the father struggling through a wide range of emotions.
There were many elements I enjoyed in the book includes; psychology, parents' POV, and family dynamics. Finally, l didn't like the wife because I had gaslighting vibes from her throughout the book. The characters were dynamically written.
Suitable for readers of domestic psychological thrillers.
4.5⭐
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