Good Father

by Diane Chamberlain

[Leah]

Diane Chamberlain is an author who is, more often than not, compared to Jodi Picoult. That was the reason I tried her in the first place, because of my love for Jodi P and although they do present similar dilemmas and topics, they’re not really all that similar. At least I don’t think so. I do however very much enjoy both authors and Diane Chamberlain, with every book she writes and every book I read, is slowly climbing up my list of must-read/must-buy authors. When I saw her latest book The Good Father on Netgalley, I requested it immediately. Firstly, because it’s Diane Chamberlain but, actually, because the topic of a father being the main focus was massively interesting because it’s a rare occurrence. Normally in Chick Lit/Women’s Fiction you find single mothers. Never a single father. I mean never as well.

The Good Father is an immensely readable novel, telling the tale of Travis Brown. Travis Brown is in his early twenties, but isn’t like most guys his age. Instead, Travis spends his time taking care of his four-year-old daughter, Bella. He loves Bella more than life itself and he’s devastated when he loses his job and his home and he and Bella end up living hand-to-mouth. So when his new friend Savannah tells him of a job in Raleigh, he hightails it up there, only to find out that the job isn’t the job he thought it was. And that if he wants to make sure Bella is fed and warm, he may have to commit a criminal act. Now I’m not a parent. At all. It doesn’t at this moment in time appeal to me, it isn’t something I can say I have knowledge of, but if there’s one thing I get about being a parent it’s that the lengths you’ll go for your children know no bounds. And do you know what? I sort of see why mothers and fathers end up doing wrong things for the sake of their children. It’s just what you do. So when I read the synopsis of the book and read what Travis was going to potentially do I wasn’t disgusted; instead, I empathised. I understood and I just couldn’t wait to read it to see what Travis did.

The novel isn’t just about Travis and Bella, though. We’re also introduced to Erin, who is suffering after a tragedy of her own and finds herself growing closer and closer to Bella after she meets Travis and Bella in a coffee shop in Raleigh. Then there’s Robin, who is gearing up to marry the man who wants to be Beaufort’s next mayor. But who, too, is struggling with her own demons. All the characters are linked and it was fascinating to read the novel from more than just Travis’s point of view. I loved Erin, loved Robin, loving Travis, loved how the narrative hopped around so we got to learn more about each of our characters. I liked how Erin unwittingly got caught up in Travis’s life and how Robin found her own story being mirrored so close to her new life. But the girl who really took my heart was Bella. Beautiful Bella. Chamberlain really knows how to make the kids in her novels stand out, shine, and Bella shines. She’s such a cute, smart, savvy kid. The kind of kid you want to read about and the relationship she and Travis have as father and daughter is just beautiful to read about, how they stick together and it’s them two against the world.

I just really enjoyed The Good Father. Sure, what Travis does is questionable. Of course it is. But put any parent in that situation, of living in a van for God’s sake, and you’ll get the same outcome. Desperation can lead to doing crazy things, things you don’t necessarily want to do and it’s how you fix situations like that that can make or break the novel and Travis made the novel. Totally made it. The plot moved along seamlessly, I found it hard to put the book down even though I knew I needed to sleep, and I just adored the characters. I admit I was worried at the start as to whether Chamberlain could pull off a male lead character, but she does. She’s excellent at pulling off her stories, excellent at giving us multiple narratives and characters we really really care about and root for. The Good Father was a read I thoroughly enjoyed and one I definitely recommend. I can’t wait for Chamberlain’s next effort, because she’s just so capable of writing books I adore, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!