REVIEW: "Yes, Daddy" by Jonathan Parks-Ramage
I grew up in Westerville, Ohio, a far-flung suburb north of Columbus. This relatively tiny town is known primarily for 2 things. First, as the home of the prohibition movement, and second as home to an inordinate number of millionaires.
I, the only child of a single mother, was certainly not one of them. My mother made a reasonable living working as a computer programmer in a time before home computers were really a thing. We were never destitute, but we certainly didn't have Lamborghini money.
I did, however, go to school with a reasonable number of students whose parents’ collective net worths could only be described as impressive. Despite likely having more pocket cash at the ready, most of these peers were normal. Simple. Not that different from everyone else. But there were some classmates whose socio-economic statuses set them apart.
These kids were members of families that had amassed that certain amount of wealth that brings with it a certain amount of mystery.
They seemed to exist behind the tall stone walls of their impressive estates. They lived lives that most of us could not understand. They were free from the weight of public inspection, and as a result seemingly able to do pretty much whatever they wanted.
Even with my consistently overactive imagination, I always assumed that, despite the privacy they enjoyed, these upper-echelon residents of my home town were doing things that were… pretty normal. But now I'm wondering if I was right to stifle that niggling notion that told me there was something decidedly different about these uber-wealthy families. Because, in this novel, the things that the rich and famous do behind the walls that protect them not only from intruders but from prying gazes, were profoundly beyond normal.
Our protagonist, Jonah, enjoyed relatively comfortable wealth in his youth, thanks to the hefty financial rewards his father reaped as a leader in their church. But that all changed when Jonah’s parents discovered that their son had a secret. He was “suffering” from same-sex attraction, an affliction of which they must help him break free.
Despite his parent’s fervent efforts, Jonah couldn’t escape the clutches of this demon. And, ultimately, his lifestyle choices lead to both the emotional and financial collapse of his previously happy family.
Now grown and having come to realize that his gayness isn’t in fact, a sin, Jonah is trying to make a life for himself as a playwright in New York City. But as many have learned before him, and undoubtedly many will learn after him, eking out a life in the city is difficult. It’s a non-stop hustle to earn the money necessary to pay the inflated rents on the slum-level apartments that cater to the residents who haven’t been financially blessed.
But, Jonah sees a way out. He sets his sights on Richard, an older playwright who has both made a name for himself and amassed a fortune. When Jonah sees a picture of Richard attending an event, a young gay man who looks not so dissimilar from Jonah on his arm, he gets an idea. He can become Richard’s arm candy. He can insert himself into this man’s life and, in doing so, give himself the leg-up he needs to actually stand a chance of turning his dreams into reality.
What Jonah doesn’t know, though, is that Richard is not what he seems. The price Jonah will have to pay to realize his dreams may be far too steep and, what’s worse, by the time he realizes how much it will cost him it might be too late to escape.
One thing that I can say without a doubt is that you have never read a book quite like this one. In his stunning debut, Jonathan Parks-Ramage built a tragically twisted world and populated it with characters who flaws make them so susceptible to abuse.
One particularly effective facet of this novel was Parks-Ramage’s use of second person point of view.
While the majority of the novel was written in the first person perspective of our protagonist, Jonah, this perspective shifted relatively consistently into second person throughout the novel. These chunks of second-person pose were among the most moving and, as a result, the most effective.
By having Jonah speak to an initially unknown "you", Parks-Ramage all but forced his readers to insert themselves into his story, to imagine themselves as someone against whom a crime had potentially been perpetrated. He made it impossible for readers to distance themselves from the traumatic experiences of this novel.
In reflecting on my reading of this book, the only developmental critique I can arrive at is that the pacing was a bit inconsistent. Some periods of time received lots of attention, while others were largely glossed over; however, I cannot honestly say that I feel that this discordant pacing in any way negatively impacted my enjoyment of the novel as a whole. It was absolutely a book I will not soon forget.
This novel earns every one of its 5 out of 5 cocktails.
While I do recommend this novel wholeheartedly, I will caution that if you are at all squimish about, or offended by, graphic descriptions of sex, this is not likely going to be the book for you. It is gritty and raw and wholly uncensored, so be prepared for that before you embark on this literary journey.
Do you have a favorite point of view? I tend to be a fan of 3rd person, but I can definitely appreciate the intimacy that only 1st person can allow. Tell me about your favorite POV in the comments, below.
Okay. I need something… lighter. Want to see what I pick up next? Subscribe to updates in the sidebar and follow me on Goodreads.
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*I was provided a gifted copy of this title by the publisher*
