Gritty crime story of domestic homicide, Well written, if the story elements are not original. Will captivate readers who are partial to this genre. Takes place in Australia.

Fathers’ Day September 4, 2005 will be remembered by many in Australia as a tragic day. Robert Farquharson was returning his three sons to his estranged wife Cindy Gambino when his car left the road and plunged into water. Robert escaped, but Jai, Tyler, and Bailey did not.

This book describes Robert’s arrest for murder and the subsequent trials. The author attended the trials and the narrative is written in first person. Unfortunately, the writing style did not appeal to me. Despite this, I wanted to know what the result of the court proceedings would be.

The author shares her opinions and observations of the people and evidence presented. There is a large amount of information related to various aspects of the accident reconstruction as well as from various medical experts. Other threads running through the narrative include devastation, loss, grief, anxiety, distress, effects of marriage breakups, and much more.

Overall, the story is emotional, heartbreaking, and informative. Those who enjoy reading true crime books will likely greatly appreciate this one.

Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor – Pantheon and Helen Garner provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for October 10, 2023.

On Father’s Day, 2005, estranged husband Robert Farquharson, on his way to returning his 3 small children to their mother after a visit, suddenly veers off the road into a dam. Robert was able to escape, but the three kids drowned. This House of Grief chronicles the subsequent trial, as Robert was arrested and charged with murder in a story that captivated Australia. The author attended the trial and appeals exhaustively, and the book is a retelling of the testimony of all involved. Although the case had people choosing sides, it appeared the evidence was overwhelming, and Robert’s story so flimsy, that it seems surprising this case garnered the enormous attention it did, although the horrificness of the act may be the reason. While the author does an admirable job of processing and relaying the court testimony to the reader, the book fails to have the emotional impact on the reader that you would expect, as the court testimony tended to be dry and repetitious. Overall, it’s still a must-read for true crime fans. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: October 10, 2023
On September 4, 2005 (Father’s Day in Australia), the car Robert Farquharson was driving ran off the road and plunged into a dam- sending Robert and his three young sons into its murky depths. When only Robert emerged, claiming his children had died, speculation began instantly that Robert had purposely driven his car over the edge, in order to spite his ex-wife (the boys’ mother) who had just divorced him and started dating someone else. Robert claims it was a medical emergency that made him lose control, a medical condition so rare it is barely recognized in medical circles, but the general public were quick to throw stones at the young father who did not “react reasonably” at the scene of the accident and afterward.
Helen Garner, a reputable Australian non-fiction author, decided to taker her obsession with the case and turn it into her newest publication, “This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial”. Garner followed the case from beginning to end and “Grief” outlines her observations while sitting in on the multi-month trial, including not only the initial trial but also the second trial that occurred after the Defense argued that errors led to a “miscarriage in justice”. I am not familiar with any of Garner’s other works, although she is award-winning and recognized nationally in Australia, but after reading “Grief” I can whole-heartedly say that Garner certainly commits to a case, and gives it her all.
Garner shares her opinions on the witnesses and shares what she believes the outcome should be, but she makes it very clear that these are her opinions only. She very honestly depicts the details of the trial, and all of its participants, which serves to let the reader make their own decisions. The reader is able to respect Garner’s opinions and yet not be swayed by them, which is a remarkable feat for a non-fiction true crime novelist.
I was not familiar with this story, likely because of the location, but I was intrigued by the idea that a parent (any parent, regardless of gender) could murder their children, and I needed to know, if Farquharson had indeed committed such an act, HOW and WHY and all the nitty gritty details in between. Garner did not leave me lacking. “Grief” was empathetic to both the victims and to Farquharson while providing non-biased information and detail on both the event itself and the proceeding court case.
Garner is a true crime, non-fiction writer for not only diehard true crime readers but for those, like myself, who occasionally dabble in the genre. Emotional, respectful and informative, Garner’s “This House of Grief” is a powerful read!

Helen Garner is an Australian journalist who has chronicled the 2005 case of a father who drove his car off the highway and into deep water, drowning his three young sons. Robert Farquharson claims that he had such a severe coughing attack that he blacked out, causing the tragedy.
However, Farquharson did not attempt to save his boys that night: he swam to shore and refused offers of help to rescue them. He did accept a ride to his ex wife's home to inform her of the 'accident.'
The author does a wonderful job of covering the trial and retrial of this father, and examines the emotions and actions of the families involved.

For such an interesting true crime event, this book really bored me. It's not structured like other true crime novels and instead is basically just a play-by-play of the trial. I like a court drama as much as the next person, but it would be a lot more interesting if there were actually the slightest possibility that the defendant wasn't guilty. I mean, really. Everything he did right after drowning his kids made it perfectly clear that it was all on purpose. None of the arguments convinced me that he didn't do it maliciously. Maybe if the argument had been insanity, I might have gone for that, but nothing else. To read page after page after page talking about whether or not he did it on purpose was just boring AF when it was so clear there was no alternative. There might be something interesting in the why he did it, but it seems so obvious that I don't need an entire book to tell me the ins and outs of his thoughts. There was not a single piece of evidence that made me consider, even for a second, that the drownings weren't 100% his intention.

This book has been highly praised in the years since it came out and I cannot figure out why. Unless you really want to feel like you're sitting in a courtroom yawning along with the jurors, I'd skip this. Maybe I am biased because my dad is an attorney and I've spent my entire life in and out of courtrooms, watching court dramas on TV, and hearing stories about trials, but I simply cannot see the appeal in a book like this. There's no mystery at all. There's no question, beyond the first few pages, of whether the guy is guilty. There's no interesting manhunt or search for witnesses or anything that makes this case intriguing. It's just a sad sad case of a man throwing a tantrum because he isn't getting what he wants.

There was so much detail that didn't add anything to the narrative--what people were wearing in the courtroom, their facial expressions, who was fighting yawns during certain testimonies (besides me), all teeny tiny minutae about increasingly boring expert witnesses--that I think if this book were about half the length, it might have been entertaining. But instead it just dragged and dragged.

I found the first person POV odd for such a book and some of her commentary really bothered me. She had so many opinions that didn't make sense. In a way, it was like she was trying to convert the reader to a particular thought, but it came across as preachy. And why on earth did she have a 16 year old playmate with her in such a horrific trial? Just to have someone to talk to so she could add dialogue to the book? So much about this book made zero sense to me. Definitely not one of my favorites.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The subject matter of this book is heavy to say the least. It's a personal account by a lauded Australian author about a court case in the early 2000's involving the death of three children where their father is accused of murder.

The book was released in Australia some time ago, and I believe now will be released to international audiences. I think it's important to note that violence against women in Australia has been a focus of legal and media attention since the turn of the century and as a country we are starting to get better at identifying all its different forms.

Although the book does talk tangentially about the motives of a man who may kill his children after a marriage breakdown as a form of revenge, that's not the main focus of the book. The focus is purely on the author's observations of the trial which are insightful and thought-provoking.

The writing is, of course, extremely impactful and perfectly phrased. Garner makes the reader ask their own questions and ultimately, to stare their own opinions and prejudices in the face.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley prior to it's US Release. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was a bit of a challenging read. First, it takes place in Australia and contains a lot of local slang. I could follow most of it, but at times I had to stop and do some research to figure out what the author was referring to. Second, the author’s writing style, based on facts and observations, was a bit confusing and downright boring at times. The most interesting part of the book is how the Australian legal system works.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook page.

This House of Grief is a haunting recounting of the trial of Robert Farquharson, who was accused of purposely driving his car into a dam, drowning his three young sons. It's a heartbreaking tragedy that Ms. Garner handles with sensitivity and respect. This case was new to me, and it was hard to put the book down. I was anxious to read the outcome, even knowing that either way, nothing could bring these children back. I highly recommend This House of Grief. Thanks to NetGalley and Pantheon for the ARC.

Excellent layperson's account of a father on trial for the deaths of his three sons. Author Helen Garner attended the years of court hearings and offers her observations of the proceedings, witnesses, and families. Set in Australia beginning in 2005, This House of Grief is highly recommended for true crime fans and book discussion groups.

True crime story presented by an author who sat through the trial of the accused and studied all aspects of the crime.
First this is such a sad tale, can't imagine anything more horrific! Robert Farquharson is charged with murder of his three sons with his estranged wife Cindy. He is driving the boys home and drives off the road into a dam. He escapes the car and survives but the three boys drown.
The book is an almost clinical description of the investigation and trial. The author has certainly given all the "facts and known details".
The book was hard to read on 2 levels for me, First the story itself is an epic family tragedy with so many lives totally destroyed. I still never felt I really understood Robert and in fact any of the other characters very well. Second there is so much technical detail, much of it contradictory. I must admit I skimmed much of this part. I found all the information on cough induced blackout particularly boring with again no resolution.
This is an interesting story with a very complete reporting, true crime readers will likely enjoy it.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC to read. All opinions are solely my own.

Alright, this one is for all of you true crime fans out there. I heard such great things about Helen Garner's writing that I was really looking forward to reading "This House of Grief". I absolutely get what the buzz is about.
Garner details the trial of a father in Australia who is accused of the horrific crime of driving his car into a dam and killing his three children.
What I liked about the way this unfolded in the book, is that while touching on so many tough topics, (the limits of opportunity, class, the feelings created by a divorce, how families grieve, our friendships, just to name a few items), Garner doesn't just give is a stereo instruction just the facts report. She gives it such a personal and human touch with injecting her own struggles with the trial and evidence that shows a vulnerability I've not seen in these types of books before. It's also such a good reminder about the humanity of everyone involved, no matter how the people are portrayed in the court system.
I had to resist the urge to Google this trial until I had finished reading this book. It took a lot of self discipline I tell you!

I recently read and enjoyed Helen Garner's "The Children's Bach", and I was eager to test out her other books. "This House of Grief" had a very different feel to it, but I was just as engrossed, if not more so. This is a true crime book about the case of Robert Farquharson, a father in Australia that drove his car into a pond in 2005. He survived, but his three sons drowned. The book takes us through the case over the years and we quickly learn that there are many sides to a story.

I hadn't heard about this case before, so I liked that sense of "what will happen next?" as I read through. It felt like a novel, which I always appreciate when reading nonfiction. The lack of chapters was a little unsettling, but it didn't hinder my overall enjoyment of the book.

This House of Grief was a really heavy but well-done piece. It could be in the same canon as In Cold Blood.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This review is my honest opinion of the book.

This case was completely unknown to me before reading the book and I found it interesting and unique. It's about an Australian father convicted of murdering his three sons by driving into a dam (in America we'd call it a pond) and letting them drown in the car. At first his estranged wife believes his contention that it was a horrible accident caused by his passing out during an extreme coughing fit due to a medical condition called cough syncope, but a good bit after his conviction she changes her mind and decided he did it on purpose as the prosecution had asserted. The author does a fairly good job of laying out the evidence the prosecution presented and in trying to be an impartial reporter of the case from both sides. However she includes many statements of personal bias on both her part and of others including a young woman who sat through much of the trial with her. She also describes the atmosphere in the courtroom and the attitudes of other journalists and spectators. There was just something in the way she did this that was very off putting to me. And her comments about the juries were simply strange oftentimes. While her narrative was fairly sequential it seemed disjointed and difficult to follow. While I'm glad I read the book because the case was interesting, I will not be reading further books by this author. Overall an acceptable read.

I loved this book, it made me cry, it’s a wonderful story, ADVICE : keep your Kleenex box near, you’ll need it.

This was a tragic, convoluted story of mental illness, a messy divorce, and the heart-wrenching and unforgivable death of three innocent children.

I found myself continuously torn about which version of events to believe and who's testimony was the most genuine. Being from the US, I haven't heard of this case at all, so Garner's narrative kept me on the edge of my seat since I came in with no preconceived notions about how it would all end up. Even when it all wrapped, I am still left confused about the overall motive and intention, as I'm sure many people are.

Garner not only walks the reader through the trial from beginning to end, but brings up thought-provoking discussions about the fluidity of memory, the open-ended nature of interpretation in medicine and trauma, and about the sense of ownership people begin to feel over a story and the grief it may bring.

Overall, I give this book a solid 4/5 stars. The foreword by Sarah Weinman didn't add anything to the story and I think it can (and in my opinion, should) be skipped. The NetGalley version I had didn't have any chapters which also made the pace of the book a bit peculiar, but maybe that will be addressed prior to publication. Thought-provoking, quick read for any true crime fan!

Thank you NetGalley and Pantheon for the opportunity to read the advanced reader's copy prior to release in exchange for my honest review.

Australian writer/journalist Helen Garner reports on the lengthy, wrenching court trials of one Robert Farquharson, a blue-collar schlub whose existence would be overlooked, except for his defining act of killing his three children by purposefully driving his car into a body of water on September 4, 2005. This seems like an esoteric subject, but Garner’s efforts in covering the case from a courtroom spectators’ gallery over a seven-year period make the affair captivating and revealing. Her internal dialogue during the trial makes for an engaging narrative. Garner is wise, sharp, and occasionally funny, offering nuance on and variated descriptions of the universal themes of loss, grief, survival and madness in a small, isolated community.

On Australian Father’s Day in 2005 Rob Farkinson was taking his boys home after an outing to Kentucky fried chicken in a trip to see their aunt at Kmart. He and his wife Sandy had recently broken up after she told him she was not in love with him and like most men who won but lose their family he was very depressed and all this night somehow his car wound up in the water with his three boys trapped inside he said it happened after he started coughing and lost consciousness The House Of Grief by Helen Gardner tells the whole story from Cindy’s staunch support of Rob his family‘s unconditional love and the prolonged court trials that found a man who in my opinion seemed innocent sentenced to life in prison. The thing that stands out most to me is how the defense answered every point raised by the prosecution and in most cases negate it, only to have the verdict come back just as horrible as the atrocity itself. There’s things in the spot I did not see coming in things I knew would happen only because the prosecution was involved this is a great book in one any true crime staying well enjoy reading I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This House of Grief is a famous work of true crime reporting from Australia, originally released in 2014, now being re-released for US audiences. I have to admit I had never heard of Helen Garner, even though I have now discovered that she is considered one of Australia’s greatest writers.

Helen Garner sat in court for many years, observing the trial of a man who was suspected of killing his three children. Clearly, the subject matter is horrifying and unfortunately not uncommon. However, Garner manages to paint a multifaceted picture of the people affected in this long court case, showing how difficult and baffling such a case can be. We, the readers, are transported to Garner’s chair in the courtroom, where we see everything through her eyes and thoughts, following her along in her daily life while the haunting details swirl through her mind. Since Garner comes across as such a likeable, thoughtful and wise person, the narrative is compelling. This is essential since this is told via Garner and thus she becomes a character in the telling.

It is important to know going in that it is true crime focusing on the court minutiae and the Australian legal system. Garner paints an extremely detailed picture of the courtroom and its participants, which slows the pace but does provide a cinematic experience.

Very moving, very tragic, written beautifully with great empathy.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for letting me read this in exchange for an honest review.