Here Lies a Father comes with stellar reviews in a well put-together press package. Comparing Ian Daly to Holden Caulfield in a coming-of-age novel in which fifteen year old Ian must come to grips with the secrets and lies of not only his family but more specifically his father, captures the attention, promising twists and turns as Ian travels his gnarly road toward truth.
Unfortunately, this novel by Mackenzie Cassidy does not deliver on these promises.
Mr. Cassidy is a wonderful writer. That much is true, and I very much look forward to his next piece, and the one after that, and so on.
Here Lies a Father is Casdidy's debut novel. He is an accomplished journalist and writer of short pieces. Read this book for the joy of his prose.
In the long run, I felt the work became repetitive. The characters stuck in their ruts, especially Ian's Mom. But Ian as well. From the very beginning he seemed to have insight into his father, but it was as if he was caught on a see saw or a ping pong table. A flash of insight and then whoosh back he would go to the very beginning, clinging to false narratives instead of allowing his bits and pieces to collect and accumulate. This tread got tiresome.
Oddly, after close to 300 pages, I felt like I really did not get to know him nor his family. And I really wanted to.
His sister Catherine disappears from the narrative.
It's as though these really interesting people: his Aunt Marie, his half brother Cameron, his mother and even Richard Allen are gold mines, their treasures running just below the surface if only the author had had the courage to set them free.
So much of what Ian experiences as a fifteen year old boy, what Cassidy chooses to set down on the page has been done, lived so much it may be true but it is trite, offering nothing fresh or new or insightful.
As stated, Cassidy is a very talented writer. We will hear from him again. I will be the first in line to see what he comes up with next. ( )