672. The Dead Father

The Dead Father
Donald Barthelme
1975
Around 180 pages

I was looking for a somewhat lighthearted break after Fatelessness, but of course we are immediately confronted with dead fathers. Luckily this was so confusing, I barely knew what was going on.

Which makes it pretty difficult to summarize, but I'll still give it my best shot. The Dead Father is a powerful being hauled with a cable by some children. All I can say is Barthelme's dad must have been a piece of work, for fatherhood to be represented the way it is in this novel.

This isn't as obnoxious to me as other post modernist novels have been, maybe because it wasn't 700 pages. It did contain some good moments, and would probably have had greater resonance if you are a parent, or have an overbearing father. Luckily, that doesn't describe me.

I appreciated how many influences Barthelme drew on for this, from Gulliver's Travels to Christian lore. So an impressive work, but not my cuppa.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Chapter 17 includes an adapted version of a previously published short story, "A Manual for Sons."

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