Yes, Daddy
Holy sh%$ and Lord have mercy! Wow, just wow! Yes, Daddy is a book that pushes all the right buttons, and I can see why Amazon Studios has already announced an adaptation of this book.
Jonah Keller moved to New York City with dreams of becoming a successful playwright, but, for the time being, lives in a rundown sublet in Bushwick, working extra hours at a restaurant only to barely make rent. When he stumbles upon a photo of Richard Shriver—the glamorous Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and quite possibly the stepping stone to the fame he craves—Jonah orchestrates their meeting. The two begin a hungry, passionate affair.
When summer arrives, Richard invites his young lover for a spell at his sprawling estate in the Hamptons. A tall iron fence surrounds the idyllic compound where Richard and a few of his close artist friends entertain, have lavish dinners, and—Jonah can’t help but notice—employ a waitstaff of young, attractive gay men, many of whom sport ugly bruises. Soon, Jonah is cast out of Richard’s good graces and a sinister underlay begins to emerge. As a series of transgressions lead inexorably to a violent climax, Jonah hurtles toward a decisive revenge that will shape the rest of his life.
Before I begin my review please note - My advice is to go into this story blind. It is one of those books the less you know about, the better a reading experience it will be, as it was for me. Therefore, I’m not going to go into the greatest detail on characters and plot in this review.
Good grief! This has to be one of the craziest books I've ever read…I’m not joking. However, I think this is also one of the most riveting and powerful I’ve ever read as well. Yes, Daddy is a story that had me feeling the whole gamut of emotions - I was furious at characters (almost threw the book at the wall), cheering, laughing, and just tearing up on multiple occasions.
This is a story where toxic older men prey on younger victims with broken pasts in the gay community. I found this really pertained to our times in both the gay and straight communities, and this storyline keeps this conversation going in a world where the #MeeToo movement is still ongoing. Parks-Ramage also takes on the heavily weighted issues of homophobia, hate, rape, abuse, conversion therapy, and the results and effects they have.
If you are looking for a book that you want to read with a buddy or group this is it! The darkness of this book will begin your very emotionally fueled conversations, and then y’all will need each other to vent, cry, and argue about.
You can bet your butt I will preorder all of Parks-Ramage’s future publications as I cannot wait to see what his brilliant mind comes up with next!
Personal Note: I’ve read some reviews where readers think the author has completely stepped over the line of good taste and become perverse and crude. For me this was not the case. We live in a world that can be perverse and crude (I feel we are this way more than ever with the social media culture). Is it a cringe-inducing and uncomfortable story at times? Yes, yes it is, but it creates a powerful and important story. I think Parks-Ramage really took a deep look at the dark side of our world and posed extremely valid questions.
Big thanks to the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for this gifted copy.
