I requested this book from the publisher as I had really liked Rachel Mark's previous title, Saturdays At Noon, when I read it via Netgalley last year. I was really glad to see Marks was publishing another book and so was keen to read it before it published.

Sadly, I didn't gel with this one in the same way and eventually decided to DNF around the 50% mark.

Here's what I didn't like about it:
- I didn't buy into the character. His emotions and experiences of the world didn't feel authentic. It read as if Marks had thought "how might a man experience the world?" rather than thinking of him as a human first and foremost.
- The teaching scenes didn't sit well with me and I especially found it unbelievable that a teacher would be so unprofessional.
- Child abuse plays a prominent role in this book, which I really wasn't expecting. This isn't something I like to read about and so I often DNF when this topic comes into play.
- Some of the language used really irked me, including some throwaway comments about suicide, gender, etc.
- At one point, the father reads Harry Potter to the children. I feel like in 2021 we all know what JKR stands for and she needs no further promotion. 

I think this book will have a readership. It's sadly just not me.