The Good Father

As a rheumatologist, Dr. His son, Daniel Allen has always been a good kid but, as a child of divorce, 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, shedding his former skin and eventually even changing his name. One night, Paul is home with his family when a televised news report announces that the Democratic candidate for president has been shot, and Daniel is the lead suspect.

The Good Father - Wikipedia

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. From the Hardcover edition. Noah Hawley is an American film and television producer, screenwriter, composer, and author. He wrote and produced the television series Bones present and also created The Unusuals and My Generation Hawley also wrote the screenplay for the film… More about Noah Hawley. The result is a moving family saga that explores the intriguing notion of a statue of limitations on parental responsibility.

A Conspiracy of Tall Men. Here's how restrictions apply. Anchor; Reprint edition January 8, Language: Start reading The Good Father on your Kindle in under a minute.

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Kindle Edition Verified Purchase. I read Before the Fall by the same author first, and it was great. This book was a disappointment - the content was very interesting.

We learn very early on that the "good father" of the title is told that his 20 year old son has been charged with assassinating a popular Senator who is a Presidential hopeful. We get the thoughts of both father and son - the Dad feeling he has neglected his son as he divorced the boy's mum when his son was 7 and he moved to the East Coast of the U.

The father cannot believe his son is capable of such an act and from all we learn of the son we are unsure too. Unfortunately, the father researches all he can find out about men who have committed acts of assassination and we get all of this in depth research too.

Questions?

I now know more than I wanted to about Hinckley, Chapman, Oswald etc. It filled a lot of the pages of the book. I bought this book after being so impressed by his other book "After the Fall. However, unlike the other book, I found this one a slog and ended up disappointed not to have gained any real understanding of the evolution of the thinking of the son. The chronology of his gradual descent is described, but I felt we never really got into his head.

The insertion of historical descriptions of other mass murders seemed gratuitous and added nothing to the plot development or real insight into their mindsets. On the other hand, a much larger portion of the book is devoted to the father's quest for understanding, which alternates with passages describing the son. Alas, although we sympathize with his plight, he comes off as so self-centered that he's hard to like. The descriptions of his ruminations go on so long and so tediously, that I finally found myself just skimming.

All in all, a great idea but a big disappointment. This book, coincidentally, was read by four other members of my family and one of us happened to mention reading it over dinner one evening. It is amazing the length and depth of discussion that went on from that point. Was he indeed a good father? Did he do the right things for himself, or for his new family? Were his efforts worthwhile and justifiable?

So, a simple accident of a dinnertime discussion led to a better understanding of life and the processes for effective parenthood. One person found this helpful. This is one of the most absorbing and powerful books I've ever read. It is about a father who's son is accused of assasinating a presidential candidate. Weaving the histories of other assassins in recent American history as a counterpoint to the father's recollection of his son reaching manhood, Hawley depicts a father trying to determine his role in contributing to his son's actions, and a son who questions how he has been affected by his parental upbringing.

Having read Hawley's "Before the Fall" at least a year ago, finding "The Good Father" is like discovering the author all over again. This book left me so emotional. My children lived through divorce and I would tell myself that 'kids will be fine. We weren't resistant we were broken".

It's the first time I realized I had told myself that lie to justify my actions. Reading this book brought back that memory. I read Hawley's first book bc I had been impressed with his pacing and wording on his TV series "Fargo. Though the plot here especially could have focused on the main act in the story, Hawley's apparent deliberate choice to focus on the unintended consequence of an act and in particular the damage done to those barely even thought of are his true brilliance.

The line "A man has to know his limitations" has been used twice by Eastwood's characters in different films. It's my favorite line.