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At once a gripping thriller and an insightful study of a family tragedy in a tight-lipped community, Our Fathers sees a young man return to solve the terrible events of his past in the untamed landscape of the Hebrides.
Waterstones Thriller of the Month for February 2021
When Tom was eight years old, his father took a shotgun and shot his family: his wife, his son and baby daughter, before turning the gun on himself. Only Tom survived.
He left his tiny, shocked community on the island of Litta and the strained silence of his Uncle Malcolm's house while still a young boy. For twenty years he's tried to escape his past. Until now.
Without knowing how to ask, he needs answers - from his uncle, who should have known. From his neighbours, who think his father a decent man who 'just snapped'. From the memories that haunt the wild landscape of the Hebrides.
And from the silent ones who know more about what happened - and why - than they have ever dared admit.
By turns gripping, beautiful, devastating and tender, Our Fathers is a story about violence and redemption, control and love. With understated compassion and humour, Rebecca Wait gives a voice to the silenced and to the silences between men of few words.
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
ISBN: 9781529400069
Number of pages: 384
Weight: 240 g
Dimensions: 198 x 128 x 26 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'With an immaculate sense of place and great compassion, Rebecca Wait reaches behind the headlines to tell a story of ordinary people in an extraordinary situation. Stark yet lyrical, subtly mysterious and always humane, Our Fathers is a novel that details the trauma that is left behind in the long, bleak aftermath of violence' - Nina Allan, author of The Dollmaker
'A wonderful novel' - The Spectator
'Perceptive, generous exploration of ... trauma' - The Literary Review
'This is a beautifully realised novel, touching on the fallibility of memory and the unknowability of families, and gripping in its intensity. Outstanding.' - The Mail on Sunday
'An astonishingly powerful story of toxic masculinity, regret and the possibility of redemption.' - The Guardian
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“I must check out her other books - superb read!”
Thank you to the publishers for this review copy, I've never read Rebecca Wait books before so whilst I had heard great things about it, I had no real expectation myself.
This is an absolute superb read which has...
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“A superb story”
Just after couple of pages you know that you have come across a superb read.
The story of Malcolm and Tom after a horrendous night 20 years ago will hunt you through the pages of the book. My house duties were...
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“Enchanting”
This book had me gripped from the very start. It’s a slow burning story of mystery, familial love, expectations and loss.
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