Father’s Day is coming up this month, and I feel like it’s time we take a moment to appreciate the wonderful dads in fiction.
I did a post like this for strong moms last year, but I hadn’t done one for dads. I’m not even sure why that is. I think it’s easier for me to think of mothers in fiction, which is so weird. Dads are wonderful creatures, and they deserve a shout-out, too, so here we are!
This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is supposed to be books that give off summer vibes, but I’m not much of a seasonal reader. Really, I just want to give fictional dads the props they deserve.
I have to admit that when I first sat down to write this, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to come up with ten. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a mother myself, but it seems like I notice mothers more than father’s, and I’m sure there’s an interesting discussion to be had there, but I’m tired and this isn’t the post. Right now, we’re just here for the dads, so let’s get to it!
Mr. Brave
The Super Life of Ben Braver
Look! There’s a parent alive and supportive in middle grade! How often does that happen? Mr. Braver, Ben’s father, doesn’t play a huge role in the story, but he makes it clear that he’s there to support his son, either way, even if it means stepping back and letting Ben discover himself. There’s even this super cheesy moment (which absolutely made me melt) where he had to wait outside to see “their” star to make sure his son was all right at school, and I just … guys, how freaking cute is that?!
Enna’s Father
The Will and the Wilds
You know … I’m thinking he has a name, but for the life of me, I can’t remember it. For all intents and purposes, Enna’s father has a form of magical dementia, yet still does his best to look after his daughter. Being the caregiver for someone with dementia is hard, and this really highlights that. Enna’s father used to be a soldier, and some of his monumental deeds are mentioned in the book, and he raised her as a single father. Even though his memory is going at times, he’s still a force to be reckoned with, especially when someone messes with his daughter.
Dad
The Boy with the Butterfly Mind
… I feel like I should be concerned about my inability to recall character names here? But also, this is told from Jamie’s point of view, and the character is often called Dad, so I feel like it still counts. Jamie has ADHD, and often, it leads to him getting in trouble, even though he doesn’t mean to. His mother decides its too much and dumps him with his father, who is just … fabulous. Words can’t even describe. Jamie’s father loves his son, regardless of the struggles with ADHD, and just wants what’s best for him, always putting him first, even sometimes to his own detriment. He’s pretty much a poster boy for true parental sacrifice, and it’s just so refreshing and sweet to see a father willing to go to bat for their kid. This man tries so freaking hard that someone should give him a dozen cookies.
Tom Kennedy
The Whisper Man
A little bit of a different one, since this is a thriller, but Tom isn’t any less wonderful. He’s been struggling to be a single parent since the death of his wife and wrestling with his own grief. So maybe adding a weird kidnapper to the mix wasn’t exactly what he needed. I’m convinced that this man would do anything for his son, and he was so easy to root for. Most parents would go to great lengths to keep their children safe or try to get them back if they were taken, and Tom certainly wasn’t an exception there.
Isaac Grant
Obsidio
Well, hi there. It’s been a hot minute since I mentioned this series, and I do believe it’s time to bring it up again. Isaac Grant is … I don’t know. There are no words. A BAMF, among other things. What most impressed me about Isaac Grant wasn’t just his fierce and unwavering love for his daughter, but how readily he took on a parenting role for the other kids, too. He just side-stepped into the position while no one was looking and got comfy there and I just loved it. He fights so hard for the kids—not just his, but all of them, and ends up being an emotional rock and support system for them all.
Ove
A Man Called Ove
I’m adding Ove here for two reasons. One, he may not have technically been a father, but he represents all the men out there who want to be fathers. Miscarriages can be devastating, especially when they represent your one shot at having a kid and then … that’s it. I think Ove would’ve been a wonderful father. But two, despite never really being a father, Ove becomes a surrogate father/grandfather to his neighbors, and that’s an equally important role. Sometimes, fathers and families aren’t always bound by blood. It’s why I love the found family trope so much. Ove represents the best of both worlds: the tragedy of wanting to be a father and never having the chance, but also having the ability to build your own unlikely, chaotic family.
Dad Wishart
The Color of Bee Larkham’s Murder
This is another one told from the son, Jasper’s, point of view, so if Dad has a name, I don’t know it. I only know him as Dad. The plight of fictional fathers everywhere. Jasper Wishart has synesthesia and face blindness and autism, which is a harrowing combination, but his father is fiercely protective and loving of him, even with all his quirk and idiosyncrasies. It’s not easy. If nothing else, this book made that abundantly clear. Yet, Mr. Wishart does what’s best for his son time and time again, the extent of which I can’t even tell you because it’s spoilery. Needless to say, he faces a lot of tough situations in this book, but his support for his son never falters.
Arthur Parnassus
The House in the Cerulean Sea
Here’s the requisite shout-out for all the adopted fathers and foster fathers, who are no less fathers just because they don’t share blood. Arthur is the foster father of a gang of children that have been deemed too much of a handful for the system, and he raises them with loving care, with an eye towards turning them into thoughtful, capable adults. Everything he does screams love, and it was just so freaking touching. Society was so ready to throw away these kids, and Arthur just keeps going to bat for them, time after time. When everyone else deemed them a lost cause, Arthur patiently gave them love and support and became the solid foundation they needed to become well-rounded individuals.
Olin
A Time of Dread
Olin would do anything for his son, Drem, although I don’t think that fully becomes clear until the second book. As a single parent, he does his best teaching his son how to be a trapper, even though a nomadic life is hard on both of them. Olin serves as a stark reminder of both the fact that fathers have layers (and lives before they have children), but also the extent to which they’re willing to sacrifice all of that to keep their child safe. Drem knows nothing of his father’s past, and that was intentional. It comes out eventually over the course of this series, and the full impact of Olin’s sacrifice becomes clear, and I just loved him all the more for it.
Aaron Bell
The Extraordinaries
Another single dad. I don’t know what’s happening with all the wives on this list, but someone should look into it. I suspect shenanigans. Nick Bell has ADHD and what one might call an unhealthy obsession with a certain Extraordinary known as Shadow Star. As a single father, Aaron Bell is doing his best to be there for his son, to help him through his struggles with ADHD and just help him get through puberty, which I think we can all agree is a struggle unto itself. Aaron is hilarious in a “this is the parent I want to be” sort of way, where he goes out of his way to embarrass his son … but in a loving father way. He’s a cop, working long hours, and not always around as often as he’d like to be, but he makes it clear that his son is his first priority, and the relationship between Nick and Aaron was just *chef’s kiss*.
I love how varied this list is! And such perfect timing for Father’s Day. I see several books I still need to read, especially The House in the Cerulean Sea😁
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Black SFF Authors You Should Be Reading
Yeees, you so need to read that! I refuse to stop yelling about it until everyone does lol. Wait, no, that’s not true. He has a new book coming up next month, so I’ll probably switch to yelling about that one for a while, so you’ll get a bit of a reprieve. xD
Love love love this post, Sammie! <3 You always come up with such great content and interesting posts! I feel weird saying this but I think dad's are so underrated in novels? Haha I mean, I can't recall many dad's/father figures that were great in the books I've read (but I also have the worst memory so there's that! 🤷🏻♀️). But I totally agree with you Tom and Isaac Grant (ugh my heart)! Also, the fatherly figure that just popped up in my head right now was Mercurio 😂 Don't know what that says… Hahaha
Thank youuu. <3 I definitely agree that they're underrated. I think the fact that you can't really think of any is a good sign (bad memory or not). I struggled a bit to come up with a list, too. Haha OMG, yes, Mercurio! But there was no way for me to talk about him without spoilers and flailing. xD
I love this post and I agree with Dini that fathers really are kind of underrated in most novels – honestly parents in general are. At least in YA and MG- they are normally awful or dead LOL
Great list, and it makes me want to pick some stuff up that I was kind of on the fence about!
I know, right? Which is so disappointing, because I don’t want my MG reader thinking I need to be dead for them to get out there and slay the dragons, okay? Just take me with them, that’s all I ask.
Fantastic list. I really need to read that new Klune book!
You most definitely do. He’s won himself a place on my favorite authors officially now, after having read (and loved) two of his newest releases. 😀
Oh, I LOVE this list! I think dads get shortchanged too often in books, movies, and t.v. shows. There are so many amazing dads out there – we should all definitely be more appreciative of them. Also, I have to wholeheartedly agree with Tom Kennedy since that’s my dad’s name and he’s pretty dang awesome 🙂
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
I feel so, too! Or when they’re “amazing” dads, it’s usually because Mom has died and they’re filling the gap, which is just tragic. Parental units can be a thing. Awesome dads can exist with their counterparts.
Is it?! Oh my gosh, that’s funny and awesome. xD Tom Kennedys, ftw.
Great choices! One of my favorites will always be the dad from My Life Next Door.
I haven’t read that yet! I’ll have to check it out. :3
I’m so glad to see Ove on your list. Great choices!
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He definitely deserves a spot!
I loved the found family in Ove. I loved that the little girls just started calling him grandpa and that Parveena told the docs she was his daughter. It was perfect.
Yeees, it was so sweet. <3 My poor heart can't handle so much fluff overload.
Aww I love this list, such an amazing choice! The only one I have read is Obsidio, though there are many others on here that I look forward to reading about too! I do agree though, some shady business going on with the mothers of these kids hahah.
Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight recently posted…Reviews in a Minute: June 2nd
Thank you! I hope you like the others when you get a chance to read them. I don’t know, but as a mother, all I can say is maybe we should start to be concerned lol.
Love your twist this week! You’re absolutely right. Dad’s don’t get enough attention in fiction. I haven’t read any of these yet, but I think one of my favorite fathers in fiction will always be Mr. Weasley in Harry Potter. <3
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Give Off Summer Vibes
That’s so true! He was a great father.
I’m glad to see Arthur on this list! Thank you again (I think it was you) for bringing The House in the Cerulean Sea to my attention earlier this year, I enjoyed reading it so much.
Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits recently posted…The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag ~ 2020 edition
It might have been me. Goodness knows I’ve shouted about it enough haha. Pssst, Klune has another book coming up next month (The Extraordinaries) and that was really good, too. I haven’t started shouting about it yet, but … just wait for it. 😉
I’ve only read one of these! Maybe that explains why I can barely think of any cool dads in fiction! :p
Briana @ Pages Unbound recently posted…Beowulf: A Classic I Read in School and Ended Up Loving (Classic Remarks)
I think they’re pretty much unicorns at this point. No, scratch that. Unicorns are everywhere in fiction. They’re … gargoyles! xD
You are focusing on YA lit? How could you overlook Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird”? or was that too obvious – maybe there should be a Hall of Fame for certain literary characters so they don’t get nominated over and over. Other great fathers include Mr. Melendy in the Elizabeth Enright series about the Melendy family, and let’s not forget Carson Drew, a very liberated father who lets his daughter Nancy get into all sorts of adult-level adventures without reining her in.
Actually, I did some books from MG to adult, just for a little diversity. :3 Atticus Finch is a great one! I was going for some newer book releases.
Oh man, it’s been so long since I read Nancy Drew that I don’t even remember her father!
You know, I think if you just continue shouting about The house in the cerulien sea then I might read it because it really makes me curious. Also, I love good parent-child relationships. Which is why I nominate for you to finally read The Menagerie because it has Jackson Wilde, who loves his son and Robert Kane who loves all his children and believes in them. Also Holly Kane and Abigail Hardy, who are great mothers and you know me, I don’t need any more reasons to talk about The Menagerie, although that was really a book where I felt that those parents are great. 😀
That is low-key my goal. When you finally break down and read it, my job will be done and I can finally retire from the blogging life in peace. xD
I will! I so totally will lol. I went through such a reading slump lately that I haven’t even done WWW posts because I didn’t actually *read* anything, darn it. I’m starting to pick back up, though, and I’ve got Menagerie sitting on my desk next to me, so it’s guilting me every day for not picking it up haha.
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Really love that you included Ove in this list!
Thanks so much! Ove definitely deserved a spot. He’s a fantastic character. :3