The Possession of Mr. Cave
A Novel
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3.8 • 25 Ratings
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- $6.99
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- $6.99
Publisher Description
A "chilling, riveting, heartbreaking" (The New York Times Book Review) novel of parental turmoil, from Matt Haig, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library and How to Stop Time.
Terence Cave, owner of Cave Antiques, has already experienced the dual tragedies of his mother's suicide and his wife's murder when his teenage son, Reuben, is killed in a grotesque accident. His remaining child, Bryony, has always been the family's golden girl and Terence comes to realize that his one duty in life is to "protect" her from the world's dark forces. But as he starts to follow his grieving daughter's movements and enforce a draconian set of rules, his love for Bryony becomes a possessive force that leads to destruction.
The Possession of Mr. Cave is a chilling investigation into the relationship between adults and teenagers -- and a captivating, tautly paced story that chronicles one man's descent into madness.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Could it have been that the desire to protect is the desire to possess?" wonders antiques dealer Terence Cave in Haig's overwrought study of a father creepily bent on protecting his beautiful 15-year-old daughter, Byrony. Beset by tragedy his wife was murdered and, later, Byrony's twin, Reuben, was accidentally killed by bullies Terence focuses all his energy on Byrony, but when she begins sneaking out to meet boys, Terence's stepped-up efforts to thwart her behavior backfire, and soon she's seeing one of the boys involved in Reuben's death. As Terence's drive to protect rapidly morphs into a dangerous obsession, his dead son's spirit begins to haunt him, and Bryony pulls further away from her "weird, creepy fascist" father. The themes of possession and control are pounded out repeatedly, and Terence seems like a construct more than a person, coming off as repellant rather than complex and troubled. What could have been an original look at human relationships unfortunately devolves into a heavy-handed study.
Customer Reviews
Powerful and Compelling
I was browsing my neighborhood's library when I came across this book, the cover was a girl playing the cello in black and white so I was intrigued. This might come off as bad in a way, but I usually judge a book by its cover. This judgment proved to be right though; it was an incredible book. I truly recommend this book for a quick, amazing read to pass time.