Matt Haig Books In Order

Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest

Aunt Eda’s Rule 9: NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES GO INTO THE FOREST. Samuel and Martha have just moved to Norway to live with their aunt Eda, and she s taking some getting used to. She has too many rules, no TV, and insists that they eat local delicacies like brown cheese and reindeer soup. And then there s the most peculiar thing about her her irrational fear of her own backyard. Sure, Uncle Henrik hasn t been heard from since he disappeared into it ten years ago, but that can t be the forest s fault…
can it? Samuel is skeptical, until he disobeys Rule 1 Never go up to the attic and finds an unusual book: The Creatures of Shadow Forest, which gives scary descriptions of the fantastic creatures supposedly living in the forest. So when Sam starts seeing strange things venture past the treeline after dark, he can t help wondering…
could Aunt Eda be right, and what really happened to Uncle Henrik? This highly inventive fantasy is full of amazing characters and unexpected twists that will elicit both laughter and chills.

Samuel Blink and the Runaway Troll

When Troll Son runs away from home, he decides to leave the Shadow Forest behind and move in with his idol, Samuel Blink. Samuel isn t thrilled with the idea of hiding a runaway troll, especially one who copies everything he does, even ugh! using his toothbrush. But should Samuel return Troll Son to the Shadow Forest? After all, he’s running from something…
what danger still lurks there? This engaging adventure showcases Matt Haig s wry sense of humor, drawing readers deeper into the imaginative world introduced in Samuel Blink and the Forbidden Forest.

The Labrador Pact

An original and fun first novel destined for cult success. Meet the Hunters: Adam, a teacher, his wife Kate, and their teenage children Hal and Charlotte. But it is Prince, the family’s black Labrador, who is the narrator and protagonist of this tale. An earnest young dog, Prince strives hard to live up to the tenets of The Labrador Pact: Duty Over All that duty being to serve and protect their Family at any cost. Other dogs, led by the Springer Spaniels, have revolted. Their slogans are Dogs for Dogs, not for Humans and Pleasure not Duty. Prince takes his responsibilities seriously, but as things begin to go awry in the Hunter family, they threaten to overwhelm him. It all starts when a new couple moves into the house overlooking the park. Soon Adam is besotted with Emily, while her husband Simon seems to have played a significant part in Kate s past. Young Hal is tripping on acid with his rowdy friends, while Charlotte is having boyfriend problems and tries to end it all with an overdose. And down in the park, it s even worse: Henry the elderly Lab has disappeared; Emily s dog Falstaff wants to lead Prince astray; has Lear the Rottweiler killed Joyce the Irish Wolfhound? In the end, Prince is forced to break The Labrador Pact and take desperate action to save his Family. The Last Family in England is funny, sad, quirky and incidentally a clever reworking of Henry IV Part II.

The Dead Fathers Club

A ghost story with a twist a suspenseful and poignantly funny update of the Hamlet story

Eleven year old Philip Noble has a big problem: His dad, who was killed in a car accident, appears as a bloodstained ghost at his own funeral and introduces Philip to The Dead Fathers Club. The club, whose members were all murdered, gathers outside the Castle and Falcon, the local pub that Philip’s family owns and lives above. Philip s father tells him that Uncle Alan killed him and he must avenge his death. When Philip realizes that Uncle Alan has designs on his mom and the family pub, Philip decides that something must be done. But it s a much bigger job than he anticipated, especially when he is caught up by the usual distractions of childhood a pretty girl, wayward friends, school bullies, and his own self doubt. The Dead Fathers Club is a riveting, imaginative, and quirky update of Shakespeare s great tragedy that will establish Matt Haig as a young writer of great talent and imagination.

The Possession of Mr Cave

A novel of chilling suspense about a father who will do anything to protect his teenage daughterFollowing the tragic deaths of his wife and son, antiques dealer Terence Cave is left alone to raise his only daughter, fifteen year old Bryony. As the young girl struggles to come to terms with the loss of her twin brother, Reuben, Terence observes changes in her behavior changes he believes are more dangerous than the common trials of adolescence. In order to protect her, he begins to follow her whenever she leaves the house, becoming increasingly paranoid about her safety. Bryony resents her father’s lack of trust and refuses to obey the draconian rules he dictates to her, despite his warnings. And when Terence realizes that the boy Bryony is in love with was present when Reuben died, his fear drives him to act with disastrous results. A brilliant psychological investigation into the relationship between parents and teenagers, and a story of nail biting tension, Matt Haig’s compelling third novel is truly unforgettable.

The Radleys

Just about everyone knows a family like The Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have for seventeen years been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives. One night, Clara finds herself driven to commit a shocking and disturbingly satisfying act of violence, and her parents are forced to explain their history of shadows and lies. A police investigation is launched that uncovers a richness of vampire history heretofore unknown to the general public. And when the malevolent and alluring Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, arrives to throw the police off Clara’s trail, he winds up throwing the whole house into temptation and turmoil and unleashing a host of dark secrets that threaten The Radleys marriage. The Radleys is a moving, thrilling, and radiant domestic novel that explores with daring the lengths a parent will go to protect a child, what it costs you to deny your identity, the undeniable appeal of sin, and the everlasting, iridescent bonds of family love. Read it and ask what we grow into when we grow up, and what we gain and lose when we deny our appetites.