The Good Father (edição: 2013)

This was one of the best books I've read in awhile. It's a story of a father of a kid accused of assassinating a popular national candidate. And of the kid. And it's really wonderfully told. ( )

It took me forever to finish this book because life kept getting in the way but now that I have I have just one word: WOW! I really wanted the son to be innocent and I was saddened when he wasn't. It definitely tore at my heart that the father let go of his son and had to watch him die. I think anyone can relate to having to let their family members go and watch them die. It is a must read.

Mystery, tragedy, lament, all in one well-told tale that's very similar to Defending Jacob by William Landay, both of which were published in 2012 (coincidence?). The plot works backwards from the assassination of a charismatic liberal Democratic presidential candidate by Daniel Allen, the twenty year old son of a divorced doctor. Paul, the father, has remarried and now is immersed in his work and his second family life, with young twin sons. The story is told from both perspectives, and it becomes obvious there's no clear-cut cause for the murder. There's an informative recap of the misdeeds of serial killers, from Charles Whitman to Jared Loughner, that seems to straddle the thoughts of father and son. Daniel leaves college and takes off on a solitary cross-country drive, never to find either himself or a purpose for his life. Paul tries to justify his abandonment of his son without taking responsibility, and, indeed, as he ponders, many boys come from broken homes and never killed anyone. The book's ending is so sorrowful, so affecting - Noah Hawley should be read by everyone who can appreciate a novel's ability to open the reader's heart and leave it raw and bleeding.
Quotes: "The defining mood of LA is desperation. It's a feeling that somewhere, someone else is getting the break you deserve."

"America was a country that believed that crime was who a person was, not just what they did. In this light there could be no such thing as rehabilitation, just punishment."

"You want to know the reason he pulled the trigger? Don't you see? Understanding the reason makes killing reasonable." ( )

This book was just a lot longer than it needed to be. ( )

It seemed endless. I mean, some nice writing, but I could have gotten the point with a third of the words. ( )