This was an odd book. The outrageous premise seemed at first to be a good set up for some cutting humor. It got off to a rolling start, but somehow lost me in the middle. I just didn’t connect with these characters enough to finish.

Took me a little to get through this as it started to lag a bit in the middle. What to say that won't give a spoiler based on the publisher synopsis? What I enjoyed most was John's brother Mike. His character made this story move along. It does show a family come together in a time of need and makes them stronger after - even if the "time of need" is completely unbelieveable. It's a solid read that digs into the two brothers and their relationship.

I really enjoyed various parts of this book ... particularly, the reminiscences of John with regard to his regrets in not better knowing his father. If only his father had been more available, John thinks. But, in retrospect, John  wonders if he himself was at fault by virtue of his own introverted personality. Interesting "if onlys" we human beings are often plagued with as we analyze ourselves with respect to our deceased parents. Mike, the brother, was a stereotypical self- absorbed loser, with some redeeming qualities as the plot evolved. I particularly enjoyed Mike's presence at the wedding reception brawl wherein the author did a great job in describing the scene. I felt like I was there. A great job of "showing" and not "telling" which is the sign of a good writer. 

All that being said, I felt that the story ended abruptly. I was disappointed that John and Mike didn't learn more about their father through reading the case histories John found. Those papers literally went "poof," and we were left wondering what more we could have learned about the father who remained a distant mystery to his sons.

This book was so sweet, genuine, and sincere!!!  The author has quite a different sense of humor but I really enjoyed it.  The main character, John, had many responsibilities in his life and has had since he was a young age is is faced with a dreaded, difficult final decision.  Throughout the book, the author uses wry humor, reveals dark family secrets and keeps the reader interested.  John's family was quite intricate, yet interestingly so, and the characters were well-written and believable.  I don't want to give the story away... so I'll just say that  I really enjoyed this novel--it was totally not what I expected at all.  Definitely recommend!!!  Thanks NetGalley!!!!

Review for Raising the Dad by Tom Matthews, pub date April 17, 2018

John Husted picks up his brother from prison with his mother, whose dementia charms her into thinking he’s coming home from vacation. The good son, John cared for his mom after his dad died, is now building his own family, continuing to monitor his mom in her home, and settles his ex-convict brother in with mom. It’s no surprise then that his father’s colleague, succumbing to a terminal illness, turns over his clandestine responsibility to John, who now must make a final, impossible decision. 

This story started off with the hook of prisoners being released at the end of their term, the nitty gritty of getting out, which was interesting. When it came to the individual prisoner, the story slowed down a bit, until the family secret was revealed. Then it flowed. The reader spends a lot of time in John’s head, agonizing with him over the dreaded options that aren’t really options. Everyone else seems secondary to John, which makes sense for a man who took on a lot of obligation at a very young age.

This young age comes into play when John digs into his father’s past through old medical records stored in the original hospital behind the one Dr. Husted’s vision brought to fruition. He finds a chink in his father’s armor, an event that everyone else remembers and has chosen to forget, but is just like brand-new to him, because he was so young when his father died. He cannot resolve this news within himself, and it adds more angst to his awful final decision, so that he delays. His wife sees here some redemption for his nogoodnik brother – “Mike knew about eighties heavy metal, and dope, and how much better the world would be if everybody just smoked dope while listening to eighties heavy metal. Everything else – politics, culture, essential human connections – were of no use to Mike Husted. But Robin saw right away that Mike might be the answer here.” This leads John back to his family, as his mother becomes lucid long enough to share a story about herself regarding the incident that shows her altruism.

Matthews has a wicked sense of humor – John purchases hockey gear to tackle the rats nesting in the old medical records in the abandoned hospital, and the scene of the vermin ambush is so visceral the reader cringes, though John is sufficiently protected. Though he didn’t really expect to find his father in the meticulous medical notation, John is still disappointed – “Nowhere – not once – was it recorded: ‘Dr. Husted burst into the room and, despite exhibiting a winsome air of regret at time not spent with his younger son, rolled up his sleeves to pull the patient back from the eternal chasm of death to the amazement of staff and the grateful embrace of humbled loved ones.’”

Readers who like shocking secrets, dark humor, and soul-searching conundrums will appreciate this story. Those who enjoy character evolution and complex family relationships will like this novel.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read this Uncorrected Digital Galley.

I will be posting my review on my own blog  and Goodreads, which links to .Facebook and Twitter,

I had no clue the book was anything like i read. I really enjoyed this book. It was a bit kooky, heart-felt, and actually believable.  You really wanted to like each character. I'm so glad I was off the mark to start with. Great book!