235. The Good Father

Rating:  ☆☆☆1/2

Recommended by:

Author:  Noah Hawley

Genre:  Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

320 pages, published March 20, 2012

Reading Format:  Audio Book

 

Summary

The Good Father tells the story of Dr. Paul Allen, the Chief of Rheumatology at Columbia Presbyterian, who has young twin boys from his happy second marriage and Danny, a wayward, somewhat troubled son from his unhappy first marriage.  When twenty year old Danny is arrested for assassinating a Presidential candidate, Paul sets out a journey to clear his son and try to figure out where things went wrong.  As he delves into his son’s past, his research leads him to explore the lives of other assassins to find out what made them tick.

 

Quotes 

“There are things in this world that no human being should be able to endure. We should die of heartbreak, but we do not. Instead, we are forced to survive, to bear witness.”

 

“I was an old man, the father of the vilified. Would this be my life from here on out? Was I to become the argumentative man who can’t control the volume of his own voice? The conspiracy nut with boxes of data who spouts dates and facts, as if coincidence alone can prove the existence of God?”

 

“He worried that he was destined to be a hobbyist, a dreamer incapable of finishing anything. The fact that the college seemed to encourage this kind of “experimentation” made him doubt its motives as an institution of higher learning.”

 

“Staring up at me, hearing my tired voice, he reached out his tiny hand. He knew me, even though he had never seen me before. And I knew him. He was the love I’d been trying to express my whole life.”

 

“I’m sorry,” I said, “did you just say elections are about hope?”

 

My Take

After enjoying the first two seasons of the FX series Fargo (especially the characters and dialogue from first season), I was interested to read a book by Noah Hawley, the show’s creator.   Hawley is also an Emmy, Golden Globe, PEN, Critics’ Choice, and Peabody Award-winning author, screenwriter, and producer, so he has an amazing pedigree.  The Good Father was an intriguing portrait of a confused father who tries to unravel the mystery behind his estranged son’s assassination of a Presidential candidate.  This well written book made me think about lots of issues related to parenting, including the question of how well do we really know those who are closest to us.  Recommended reading.