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A review by shelby1994
Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
TW: Abuse
"All fathers believe they are God, and I took it for granted that my father especially believed it."
After a string of bad luck, Patricia and her husband have no choice but to move back in with her parents. Adjusting to life back under your parents’ roof would be a seismic shift for anyone. But for Patricia, who’s father is the “bad boy” of the Catholic priesthood, it’s time machine back to the revelations, insecurities, and peculiarities of her childhood.
Gleeful and sneakily heartbreaking, this is a book that’s so particular in its vibe and its audience that I simultaneously want everyone and no one to read it.
There’s a reason Lockwood was a finalist for last year’s Booker Prize. Originally a poet, she takes you on tangent after tangent, but in a way that feels like listening to your favorite playlist on shuffle.
I wouldn’t recommend reading this if you’ve dealt with sexual or physical abuse within the Church. It comes up alot, never graphically, but we are led to understand that Patricia’s dad is someone who probably knew more than he let on, and at the very least facilitated an environment of dismissiveness towards abuse accusations. My biggest issue with her writing is that I don’t think she gets angry enough about that, even though she was a victim of abuse as well. But then again, it’s her anger - she gets to own it and mold it into whatever she wants.
Read If:
You had a visible role within your religious community growing up
You appreciate that there’s not a lot separating the holy from the obscene
Your favorite part of family dinners is making eye contact with your significant other over the table and mouthing “what the fuck”
"All fathers believe they are God, and I took it for granted that my father especially believed it."
After a string of bad luck, Patricia and her husband have no choice but to move back in with her parents. Adjusting to life back under your parents’ roof would be a seismic shift for anyone. But for Patricia, who’s father is the “bad boy” of the Catholic priesthood, it’s time machine back to the revelations, insecurities, and peculiarities of her childhood.
Gleeful and sneakily heartbreaking, this is a book that’s so particular in its vibe and its audience that I simultaneously want everyone and no one to read it.
There’s a reason Lockwood was a finalist for last year’s Booker Prize. Originally a poet, she takes you on tangent after tangent, but in a way that feels like listening to your favorite playlist on shuffle.
I wouldn’t recommend reading this if you’ve dealt with sexual or physical abuse within the Church. It comes up alot, never graphically, but we are led to understand that Patricia’s dad is someone who probably knew more than he let on, and at the very least facilitated an environment of dismissiveness towards abuse accusations. My biggest issue with her writing is that I don’t think she gets angry enough about that, even though she was a victim of abuse as well. But then again, it’s her anger - she gets to own it and mold it into whatever she wants.
Read If:
You had a visible role within your religious community growing up
You appreciate that there’s not a lot separating the holy from the obscene
Your favorite part of family dinners is making eye contact with your significant other over the table and mouthing “what the fuck”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse