The Possession of Mr. Cave: A Novel

3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars | 939 ratings

Price: 1.99

Last update: 01-06-2025


About this item

A "chilling, riveting, heartbreaking" (The New York Times Book Review) novel of parental turmoil, from Matt Haig, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Midnight Library and How to Stop Time.

Don’t miss Matt Haig’s new novel The Life Impossible, coming September 2024

Terence Cave, owner of Cave Antiques, has already experienced the dual tragedies of his mother's suicide and his wife's murder when his teenage son, Reuben, is killed in a grotesque accident. His remaining child, Bryony, has always been the family's golden girl and Terence comes to realize that his one duty in life is to "protect" her from the world's dark forces. But as he starts to follow his grieving daughter's movements and enforce a draconian set of rules, his love for Bryony becomes a possessive force that leads to destruction.

The Possession of Mr. Cave is a chilling investigation into the relationship between adults and teenagers -- and a captivating, tautly paced story that chronicles one man's descent into madness.

Top reviews from the United States

  • Maureen M.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Disturbing
    Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2024
    I love Matt Haig books. My 3 favorites The Midnight Library, Humans and How to Stop Time. This book is very disturbing. I had to keep putting it down it bothered me so much. It is a great example of the horrible things that happen to a person that doesn’t deal with their grief. The main character spirals into despair, violence and insanity. It will definitely stay with me for awhile.
  • Hamhero
    4.0 out of 5 stars First person, malignant
    Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2021
    This, to me, is a unique text. A first person perspective of what the abuser in an abusive relationship might convince themselves of. The narrative, which is essentially one long letter, is uncomfortable to read. It is well written but to inhabit such a character from such an intimate view point is uncomfortable. If art is about provoking emotion this book achieves it. I am relieved to be done with this book, parts of it it will linger with me. It is difficulty to casually recommend but it is worth the time to read.
  • EvilAntieJan
    5.0 out of 5 stars The sanity and insanity of love
    Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2024
    This book, as with all the other works of Matt Haig is a roller coaster of emotions. When does love become so compulsive? so twisted that it becomes an obsession to control and even to kill the human spirit? I wish every parent I work with could read this book. Sometimes we love someone or something so much that it is wrong and that if we truly love, then it means letting go. This was an extraordinary book as always.
  • Michelle
    3.0 out of 5 stars Deeply disturbing
    Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2021
    I struggled to give this book a rating because while it’s well written, the way it’s written forces you to remain in the very disturbed mind of the narrator. It was uncomfortable, to say the least. I found myself wishing for another character to speak up and take over the narrative just to give me a break from the relentless insanity of the protagonist.
    This book will make you feel. Pity, shock, horror, disgust, sadness…relief.
    It’s a story that takes you deep into the mind of a grieving father and the lengths he goes through to keep his daughter “safe”. It’s an equally fascinating and disturbing glimpse into the mind of a man slowly losing his grip on reality, and it is never boring.
    I’d prefer to give it 3.5 stars because while I can’t say I enjoyed it, exactly, it was a good read that I think will stay with me for quite some time.
  • Dominik
    4.0 out of 5 stars A challenging but gratifying read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2021
    This was one of the more difficult books I’ve read over the last years, It wasn’t demanding in the sense of my lacking language skills but rather a nerve-wrecking piece, where the Posession keeps putting you in various emotional states, app sharing the one feat of being uncanny. Anxiety, hatred, dread, solitude - it’s all in there. And they’re not going anywhere.

    The “Possession..” is a slow and perversely filled with details descent into madness, where the pace takes a very sudden turn near the end, and where you end up with more questions than actual answers.

    It’s not a book for everyone; in fact, it’s a far cry from other Haig’s prose I’ve been devouring over the last months.. which only makes it even more interesting, thanks to the writer’s vast experience.
  • LMM
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another masterpiece
    Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
    Matt Haig is such a versatile and prolific writer. This book is so different from his others, but that is far from disappointing. It is one of his best qualities, his ability to make any genre exciting and intriguing. This book is dark at times, even a bit funny at times, and heartbreaking. It never lost my interest and it ended the way it had to. Read this, and everything else he has written. All of his works are a gift.
  • MrsReadmore
    3.0 out of 5 stars Print is sucked inside the middle
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2021
    This review is solely based on the physical disappointment of this paperback edition - not the story itself. The print is so far into the “crack” of the pages that you have to pry the book open to be able to read what’s at the end of the left pages and the beginning of the right pages. It’s incredibly frustrating. I don’t recommend this edition.
    Customer image
    MrsReadmore
    3.0 out of 5 stars Print is sucked inside the middle
    Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2021
    This review is solely based on the physical disappointment of this paperback edition - not the story itself. The print is so far into the “crack” of the pages that you have to pry the book open to be able to read what’s at the end of the left pages and the beginning of the right pages. It’s incredibly frustrating. I don’t recommend this edition.
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    Customer image
  • MeChelle F.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Frightfully intoxicating.
    Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2024
    Not everyone may see themselves in Mr. Cave’s obsession. But there are those that will. M.H.’s ability to verbalize true inner dialogue - at times - healthy, positive but also as easily - dark, deceiving, unrelenting.
    Mixed together in our reality, with the greatest sense of clarity- it’s a gift.

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