The Father (Dr David Galbraith #3) by John Nicholl
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 19th September 2022
Published: 20th September 2022
★★★★★ 5 stars
DESCRIPTION:
What you don’t know can hurt you.
Thirty years ago Anthony Mailer was a seven-year-old boy trapped in Dr Galbraith’s basement. Now he’s a journalist, a husband and a father. But no matter how far he’s come, at times he’s still that scared little boy.
In order to save his marriage, he has to stop hiding from what happened and deal with it once and for all.
But digging into the past holds dangers Anthony never imagined . . .
A note from the author: While fictional, this book was inspired by true events. It draws on the author’s experiences as a police officer and child protection social worker. The story contains content that some readers may find upsetting. It is dedicated to survivors everywhere.
MY THOUGHTS:
The third in the Dr David Galbraith series, THE FATHER is a dark and disturbing psychological thriller that delves into the lasting effects and impact that child sexual abuse has on its victims. The first book "The Doctor" has to be one of the most chilling, harrowing and disturbing tales I have ever read. The second book "The Wife" details Galbraith's wife's perspective and how she became one of his victims too. Now in THE FATHER we have come full circle as we revisit the events of both of the first two books combined.
Anthony Mailer was seven years old when Dr David Galbraith abducted him and imprisoned him in his cellar. Now thirty years later he is journalist, husband and a father...but no matter how far he's come the past still haunts him just as much today as it did when he was that little boy. In his attempts to face the past, Anthony has decided to write a book based on his experiences as well as others at the hands of the monster they called "the doctor". But to do so requires research and research requires investigation which thus involves bringing up the past that, for many, has been long since buried. But not for Anthony...not for his mother and not for Galbraith's many victims.
His digging into the past is both harrowing and haunting, as memories long forgotten come flooding to the surface to the point he feels as if he is drowning in them. The only way he can put a lid on them and keep afloat is to lose himself in several pints or a bottle of single malt - straight. Even wine would do the trick. Anything to take away the pain. But the alcohol is merely a band aid and before long that in itself creates problems for Anthony in his marriage.
But how can he delve into the past and relive every harrowing moment without the numbing effects of alcohol to take it all away? But he knows that to do this will be cathartic, it will unleash the pain and memories he has carried for so long. And so using his journalistic skills he arranges a series of interviews with many of those involved with Galbraith or the investigation into the paedophile ring he puppeteer-ed. He is methodical in his interviews and record keeping, taking notes or recording the interviews if he can. To do so will help him feel more normal and not the scared little boy Galbraith had reduced him to. Each step is fraught with heartbreak as well as tension as the reader takes this journey with the now adult Anthony alongside the then boy Anthony.
It doesn't matter that I read "The Doctor" just two months ago and I knew what happened and all the events that took place. It doesn't matter that I knew what was to come. THE FATHER is Anthony's story; his journey. We get his perspective on what happened in the course of events we read in that first book that took place thirty years ago. And we see just how it has affected him. It is harrowing, haunting and equally disturbing as it is poignant. John Nicholl holds nothing back and yet he deals with the subject matter sensitively. You cannot read this, or any of the Galbraith series, and not be affected by them. They truly are emotive reads within their own right.
The fact that this is the third book in the series does not mean you need to read the first two to keep up. THE FATHER suffices perfectly well as a standalone, as each book does. But together they complement each other as we then see the bigger picture and the wider effects that such abuse in any form has on those around them. We know it as the ripple effect. Every tendril that branches from the initial event has the power to affect everything else it comes into contact with...even briefly.
And yes, while you or I may have read the first two books so we know what Anthony's investigations are going to uncover. But in something of a different light we then see it from others' perspectives...and ultimately, the final twist that brings everything into focus. Every action has a reaction...and every action has a consequence.
A word of warning - THE FATHER, just like "The Doctor" and "The Wife" before it, are not for everyone. There are multiple trigger warnings featuring abuse of various forms - domestic, sexual abuse, child abuse, animal abuse, rape to name a few. It is a no-holds-barred read but a thought-provoking one just the same. And one you won't forget for a long time to come.
I would like to thank #JohnNicholl, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheFather in exchange for an honest review.
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