A short but such an impactful and heartfelt read.

I came in this book looking for a read that will highlight the complicated relationships of a child and a father - but turns out, I came out gaining that perspective and more. This book does not only highlight the complexity of the author's relationship with his father, it also intertwined closely with the social repercussions that came from the political stance of France at that time ; and how it had further affected his family and his father's relationship as a whole. It was a read that led me down through a rabbit hole of the current French president and the start of his policies and how it had affected the social working class ; how the ruling class became richer and the working class had to work their bones to be able to afford anything on the table. Its a story that not only showed the author's resentments and love towards his parents but also how he had shown that at the end of the day, everything that happens in one's lives is affected by the choices from the people in power at the time.

I feel that for such a short read, the author had seamlessly brought us in into his world. Written in short excerpts from different timelines, starting from his boyhood till now - and true to the title, we find who exactly had murdered his father - and not in the literal sense but how it had affected him as a person and how he had treated his family, including the author himself. The social repercussions due to the ruling class at the time and how the author is adamant in making the politicians know through his writings that its their fault that his father had been reduced to his current state. And I love how he had used his writings to bring out the importance in naming these people, making them responsible for their actions.

We also go into the author's complicated relationship with his parents, his family and most importantly on the toxic masculinity that has been imposed in his life. The complex relationship that he had with his father and the questions on how he loved him but also resented his father all of his life. I feel that the dynamics from a father figure that has been molded into the norms of "how a man should be" and "how a man should act" had changed his views on how a man should act growing up. His reflections through his fights and arguments with his father and how it had affected the other figure in his life - which is his mother. For every child that has a complex relationship with their parents, the feeling of love but also resentment that is embedded felt relatable in a sense and I loved how he had shown that at the end of the day, a child and their parents love is inevitable even if strained.

Definitely a book that I will recommend to everyone! His writings also reminded me a bit of Annie Ernaux's writings, and if you're a fan of that, you will definitely enjoy this one :) Will check out more of his works soon :)

Personal Ratings: 4.5🌟