Book Club - Fathers and Sons

November 16, 2012

On December 7th, the Kearney Book Club will discuss The Good Father by Noah Hawley. I can’t promise a lively discussion. In fact, I expect it to be fairly somber. The subject of this very realistic novel is a parent’s worst nightmare.

The book opens with Dr. Paul Allen, a successful physician and happily married father of three, at home with his wife and two younger sons. The family listens, with growing shock, to a news bulletin about the shooting of a leading Democratic candidate for president. Within an hour, reports say that the shooter is captured and identified. His picture flashes on the television screen. It’s Paul’s oldest son, Daniel.

The reader can’t help but sympathize as we watch Paul’s world turn upside down. Any parent will understand his desperate struggle to prove his son’s innocence against mounting evidence. We believe his compulsive need to dig into the past for explanations, clues, and warning signs. And finally, the gut wrenching questions; Am I a good father? Was this my fault? Did I fail my son?

Join the Book Club at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 7th for what I’m sure will be an interesting discussion of The Good Father by Noah Hawley.

Laura M.
Kearney Branch