The 5 Most Disastrous Parents
…in Fiction
by Lauren Frankel
Okay, I’ll admit it. As much as I try to be a good mother, the parents I like reading about are usually disastrously bad. They make a mess of their families, they’re horrible role models, and their spectacularly awful choices can be hilarious or heart-breaking. Here are my top five worst fictional parents for when you feel like laughing — or crying.
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The Family Fang
The Fang parents are performance artists. They create public spectacles using their children as props. Whether dressing their son in drag for a beauty pageant or subverting the high school play, the chaos they create humiliates their children. In this quirky debut novel, the parents’ artistic legacy is at stake — and in the hands of their adult children. You may condemn these parents as selfish, but it’s hard to deny that they’re also enjoyably exuberant.
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We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Available from:It’s one thing when a parent gets rid of the family pet, but what about a sibling? As part of a psychological study, Rosemary’s father raises her with a sister who also happens to be a chimpanzee. But when the girls are five, the parents suddenly remove the non-human sibling from their family forever. This poignant story of sisterly love and loss shows how our family makes us who we are, for better or for worse.
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The Dinner
Available from:A dark tale of parental loyalty that follows two couples who realize that their teenage sons have committed a horrifying crime. Over the course of a dinner, they must decide whether to protect their boys from the law or commit further atrocities to protect them. As Koch delves into the parents’ motivations, it becomes clear that these boys may have inherited some of their worst traits. A thought-provoking read that will linger in any parent’s mind.
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The Tragedy of Arthur
Available from:Arthur’s father is a con-artist and forger who spends much of his time in prison, but he’s also a magical figure, involving his children in wondrous (although illegal) activities. At the end of his life, he convinces his son that he’s discovered a long-lost Shakespearean play and manipulates him into getting it published. Although clearly lacking in morals, this trickster father creates havoc that you won’t want to miss.
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The Goldfinch
After his mother dies, Theo is taken in by his father — an alcoholic gambler who abandoned the family. Larry Decker and his sleazy girlfriend have no qualms about stealing from his son and dead wife, and they leave Theo to his own devices in their isolated desert dwelling. Larry’s idea of parenting involves trying to swipe Theo’s educational trust and leaving his son to fend off baseball-bat-wielding mobsters. While Theo doesn’t want to end up like his dad, he can’t seem to avoid criminality — which makes for a psychologically compelling character as well as a thrilling plot.
