The Fathers

Author:   John Niven
Publisher:   Canongate Books
Edition:   Main
ISBN:  

9781837261123


Pages:   368
Publication Date:   04 June 2026
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

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The Fathers


Overview

'A blockbusting explosion of toxic masculinity' Spectator In a busy maternity ward, first-time father Dan meets Jada, a dad welcoming his fifth - no, sixth? - child into the world. But Dan and Jada come from very different places: both called Glasgow. Dan is a successful TV writer with a townhouse in the West End and a shiny Tesla ready to drive his wife and baby home. Jada is a hustling, small-time criminal who is already planning how to separate Dan from some of the luxuries Jada has never been able to enjoy in his tiny flat in a Brutalist sixties council block. When a tragedy occurs, Dan and Jada's worlds are brought closer than either could ever have imagined - close enough that it could mean destruction for both of them . . . 'Outrageous' MARINA HYDE ""A class satire with grit . . . Very funny . . . A comic melodrama that's never dull"" ― Guardian ""Without losing any of the propulsive, sweary energy or outrageous comedy of his early work, Niven has added real, lingering depth to his fiction. It's this new richness of heart that makes The Fathers such a blockbusting explosion of toxic masculinity. A week after finishing it, I still feel my ears ringing as I wait for the smoke to clear"" ― Spectator ""Bitingly funny, inkwell black and surprisingly tender"" -- ADAM KAY, author of THIS IS GOING TO HURT ""Like the bastard son of Irvine Welsh and Martin Amis, Niven manages to appal, amuse, terrify and make your heart ache in the same paragraph"" -- JOJO MOYES ""A witty account of parenthood and masculinity"" ― Independent ""Niven is on fine form, inventive and excruciatingly funny, but beneath his darkly comic prose lurks a hitherto unseen tenderness"" ― Mail on Sunday ""The novel is laugh out loud funny at points but its serious intentions are many. Inequality, criminality, substance abuse, class, social and economic horizons and even housing are themes which linger under the surface, alongside the numbing, dizzying forces unleashed by grief. Niven broaches all these things nimbly though.[with] smart, funny, laser-focussed prose"" ― Herald ""A hilarious and harrowing piece of brilliance"" -- LUCY MANGAN

Full Product Details

Author:   John Niven
Publisher:   Canongate Books
Imprint:   Canongate Books
Edition:   Main
Dimensions:   Width: 12.90cm , Height: 2.10cm , Length: 19.80cm
Weight:   0.253kg
ISBN:  

9781837261123


ISBN 10:   1837261121
Pages:   368
Publication Date:   04 June 2026
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available   Availability explained
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Reviews

A class satire with grit . . . Very funny . . . A comic melodrama that's never dull * * Guardian * * Without losing any of the propulsive, sweary energy or outrageous comedy of his early work, Niven has added real, lingering depth to his fiction. It's this new richness of heart that makes The Fathers such a blockbusting explosion of toxic masculinity. A week after finishing it, I still feel my ears ringing as I wait for the smoke to clear * * Spectator * * Bitingly funny, inkwell black and surprisingly tender -- ADAM KAY, author of THIS IS GOING TO HURT Like the bastard son of Irvine Welsh and Martin Amis, Niven manages to appal, amuse, terrify and make your heart ache in the same paragraph -- JOJO MOYES A witty account of parenthood and masculinity * * Independent * * Niven is on fine form, inventive and excruciatingly funny, but beneath his darkly comic prose lurks a hitherto unseen tenderness * * Mail on Sunday * * The novel is laugh out loud funny at points but its serious intentions are many. Inequality, criminality, substance abuse, class, social and economic horizons and even housing are themes which linger under the surface, alongside the numbing, dizzying forces unleashed by grief. Niven broaches all these things nimbly though.[with] smart, funny, laser-focussed prose * * Herald * * A hilarious and harrowing piece of brilliance -- LUCY MANGAN The Fathers continues to examine tough subjects that aren't often explored from a male perspective, like fertility and grief * * Sunday Post * * An acid-drop sharp exploration of modern fatherhood * * iPaper * *


Author Information

John Niven is the author of twelve books including Kill Your Friends, The Second Coming and Straight White Male. He has written a memoir, O Brother, and as a screenwriter his credits include The Trip, Kill Your Friends and How to Build a Girl.

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