0
    • Elementary Secondary Higher Ed Common Reads
    0 0
    Download high-resolution image Look inside

    The Dead Fathers Club

    A Novel

    Author Matt Haig On Tour
    Look inside
    Paperback
    $19.00 US
    Penguin Adult HC/TR | Penguin Books
    On sale Dec 18, 2007 | 336 Pages | 9780143112945
    Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

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

    "Ingenious." —USA Today

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

    Arming himself with weapons from the school chemistry cupboard, Philip vows to carry out the ghost's relentless demands for revenge. But can the words of a ghost be trusted any more than the lies of the living?
    © Kan Lailey
    Matt Haig was born in Sheffield, England. His novels include The Humans, How to Stop Time, and The Midnight Library, which has been a number one New York Times bestseller and sold more than fourteen million copies world-wide. His non-fiction works include his award-winning mental illness memoir Reasons to Stay Alive and The Comfort Book. His most recent fiction, The Life Impossible, was a New York Times bestseller. He has also written several children’s books, including A Boy Called Christmas, which became a major feature film. His work has been published in fifty-six languages and he is an advocate for literacy, libraries, and better mental health provision for everyone. View titles by Matt Haig
    "The Dead Fathers Club has much to recommend it. . . . It's ingenious." ―USA Today

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

    "Full of funny moments." ―San Francisco Chronicle

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

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

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

    "Utterly engrossing" ―The Observor (London)

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

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



    Praise for Matt Haig:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    About

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

    "Ingenious." —USA Today

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

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

    Author

    © Kan Lailey
    Matt Haig was born in Sheffield, England. His novels include The Humans, How to Stop Time, and The Midnight Library, which has been a number one New York Times bestseller and sold more than fourteen million copies world-wide. His non-fiction works include his award-winning mental illness memoir Reasons to Stay Alive and The Comfort Book. His most recent fiction, The Life Impossible, was a New York Times bestseller. He has also written several children’s books, including A Boy Called Christmas, which became a major feature film. His work has been published in fifty-six languages and he is an advocate for literacy, libraries, and better mental health provision for everyone. View titles by Matt Haig

    Praise

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

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

    "Full of funny moments." ―San Francisco Chronicle

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

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

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

    "Utterly engrossing" ―The Observor (London)

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

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



    Praise for Matt Haig:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Additional formats

    Other Books by this Author

    Related Articles

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Book Covers: Cowboys and East Indians 9798217006892 Advocate 9781984862495 THE EMPEROR OF GLADNESS 9780593831878 IT RHYMES WITH TAKEI 9781603095747
    General

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    Each May, we honor the stories, histories, and cultures of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Below is a selection of acclaimed fiction and nonfiction books by AANHPI creators to share with your students this month and throughout the year. Find our full collection of titles for Higher Education here.

    Read more

    Books for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

    General
    Subscribe

    Penguin Random House Higher Education

    © 2026 Penguin Random House

    Back to Top
    0
    Wish List (0)