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jonathanlynch's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
*Trigger content warnings for rape, sexual/physical abuse, conversion therapy, pedophilia, and suicide.*
When I first heard about Yes, Daddy, I was intrigued because the summary reminded me of Ryan Murphy's mini-series, Hollywood. Specifically the abusive relationship between Rock Hudson and his agent. On that front, I was not disappointed at all. It's exactly about that, echoing a very real and dark reality many young people in the entertainment industry continue to face today.
In the age of the Me Too Movement, we are more aware than ever of the toxic power structures our institutions are founded on. Typically and not surprisingly, power-hungry white men abuse the power they are given to oppress and abuse others. The presence of this theme is undeniable in this book and trust me when I say, it gets heavy. There were many moments throughout reading this that I had to set my book down to remember to breathe and continually run my hand through my hair (it's a nervous habit).
Parks-Ramage is a promising debut author and this being his first novel, I am thoroughly impressed. He created a nuanced protagonist in struggling writer Jonah, who was no where near perfect, but someone you could root for and empathize with. He also created an all too convincing villain in successful playwright Richard, who, on top of being an evil pig, was the king of gaslighting and manipulation to the extent that even I felt gaslighted and manipulated.
Trauma played a pivotal role in this book. I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes think authors give their characters too much to handle. Especially queer characters. I saw this in A Little Life and more recently for me, Cleanness. This book does not escape from that, but this felt more purposeful and had something important to say. Jonah held his umbrella high to try to protect himself from the many forms of trauma he experienced throughout his young life. His Evangelical upbringing was triggering for me in a way I was not expecting. I don't doubt any queer person who reads this book will feel triggered at one point or another.
***I do want to emphasize the current trend in queer lit where gay protagonists perpetually suffer and are set up for destructive behaviors and decision making. Every queer person has a story to tell and a lot of the time, trauma is going to be a part of that story because of the way society enforces its code on all of us. However, I would like to see authors portray more healthy queer adult love stories every now and then... but that's neither here nor there.***
I also appreciated that the author highlighted the media's faults and weaknesses toward the end of this book and the type of toxicity that can exist on social media in reaction to some very hard and complicated themes. I wish that was a bigger part of it.
Most of the book was written as a quasi autobiography, or a letter written to someone else. There was a moment the plot teetered on the cusp of horror and it felt like I was descending into a queer version of a Jordan Peele film. Though that moment was short lived, it was the part of the book that had me flipping through its pages the fastest.
At times, rushed with clunky dialogue, at other times, extremely unputdownable. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see what comes next from this author.
Thank you to the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for sending me an ARC through a Goodreads giveaway !
When I first heard about Yes, Daddy, I was intrigued because the summary reminded me of Ryan Murphy's mini-series, Hollywood. Specifically the abusive relationship between Rock Hudson and his agent. On that front, I was not disappointed at all. It's exactly about that, echoing a very real and dark reality many young people in the entertainment industry continue to face today.
In the age of the Me Too Movement, we are more aware than ever of the toxic power structures our institutions are founded on. Typically and not surprisingly, power-hungry white men abuse the power they are given to oppress and abuse others. The presence of this theme is undeniable in this book and trust me when I say, it gets heavy. There were many moments throughout reading this that I had to set my book down to remember to breathe and continually run my hand through my hair (it's a nervous habit).
Parks-Ramage is a promising debut author and this being his first novel, I am thoroughly impressed. He created a nuanced protagonist in struggling writer Jonah, who was no where near perfect, but someone you could root for and empathize with. He also created an all too convincing villain in successful playwright Richard, who, on top of being an evil pig, was the king of gaslighting and manipulation to the extent that even I felt gaslighted and manipulated.
Trauma played a pivotal role in this book. I'll be the first to admit that I sometimes think authors give their characters too much to handle. Especially queer characters. I saw this in A Little Life and more recently for me, Cleanness. This book does not escape from that, but this felt more purposeful and had something important to say. Jonah held his umbrella high to try to protect himself from the many forms of trauma he experienced throughout his young life. His Evangelical upbringing was triggering for me in a way I was not expecting. I don't doubt any queer person who reads this book will feel triggered at one point or another.
***I do want to emphasize the current trend in queer lit where gay protagonists perpetually suffer and are set up for destructive behaviors and decision making. Every queer person has a story to tell and a lot of the time, trauma is going to be a part of that story because of the way society enforces its code on all of us. However, I would like to see authors portray more healthy queer adult love stories every now and then... but that's neither here nor there.***
I also appreciated that the author highlighted the media's faults and weaknesses toward the end of this book and the type of toxicity that can exist on social media in reaction to some very hard and complicated themes. I wish that was a bigger part of it.
Most of the book was written as a quasi autobiography, or a letter written to someone else. There was a moment the plot teetered on the cusp of horror and it felt like I was descending into a queer version of a Jordan Peele film. Though that moment was short lived, it was the part of the book that had me flipping through its pages the fastest.
At times, rushed with clunky dialogue, at other times, extremely unputdownable. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can't wait to see what comes next from this author.
Thank you to the publishers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for sending me an ARC through a Goodreads giveaway !
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Incest and Suicide
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