The Read With Us Lounge: Fathers In Literary Fiction

Yesterday I decided to make a Father’s Day book recommendation video for TikTok featuring great dads in literature. I was picturing a list of books featuring wonderful fathers and heartwarming family relationships.

Instead, I found myself staring at the list of books I’ve read and coming up empty. Even Atticus Finch and Pa Ingalls, who I once would have included without hesitation, I now view as problematic. The reality is that many of the books I love feature fathers who are absent, flawed, selfish, controlling, or simply unable to be what their children need.

That isn’t because I dislike stories about fathers. In fact, quite the opposite. The role fathers play in our lives—whether positive or negative—can shape us for decades. My own life has been greatly shaped by a mostly absent biological father and a very complicated relationship with my stepfather. I think the books I read reflect that reality.

So, in honor of Father’s Day, and because we can be brutally honest here in the Read With Us Lounge, here are my thoughts on some of my favorite books with terrible and abusive dads, flawed and sort of trying dads, and men who act as dads even though they aren’t.

In Shuggie Bain, the father’s absence leaves a void that influences every aspect of Shuggie’s life. In Run for the Hills, a father’s choices reverberate through the lives of his children long after he is gone. The father in The Names exerts a powerful influence that echoes across generations, while the father in Nesting demonstrates how damaging a parent’s behavior can be to an entire family. John of John illustrates the relationship between a father and son that is full of disappointment and resentment but also love and loyalty. The Bee Sting is practically a master class in how a father’s flaws can radiate through an entire family. And The Children gives us a father who is so utterly self absorbed that he may as well be absent.

But literary fiction is not entirely devoid of good fathers and father figures.

One of my favorites is Cal Hooper from The Hunter. Cal isn’t defined by biology. Instead, he becomes a father figure through his actions. He listens. He protects. He shows up. In a genre full of absent or disappointing fathers, that quiet consistency feels remarkable. Similarly, the grandfather at the center of So Far Gone is imperfect and messy, but he is trying. Sometimes that effort matters as much as getting everything right.

The truth is that memorable fathers in fiction are often the ones who struggle, fail, redeem themselves, disappoint or even surprise their children. Their choices matter because families matter. A great book can remind us that fatherhood, like all relationships, is rarely simple. The best books understand that the people who shape our lives are often complicated and that loving them can be complicated, too.

What are some of your favorite books featuring fathers or father figures?