Publishers Weekly
04/04/2022
This incisive analysis by Angel (Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again) contemplates the intersection of fatherhood with toxic masculinity and patriarchy. Noting that “fathers wield troubling power, whether they like it or not,” Angel draws on literature, film, and current events to explore the nature of patriarchal authority within families. She turns the “daddy issues” trope on its head, criticizing it for insinuating that women’s romantic troubles with men stem from strained relationships with their fathers. Instead, she asks, “What of the father’s daughter issues?” Examining the films Meet the Parents and the 1991 Father of the Bride remake, the author observes that fathers’ hostility toward their daughters’ male suitors acts as a type of control over their sexual and romantic lives. The author also unpacks real-world examples, concluding that Ivanka Trump’s defenses of her father whitewash his misogynistic comments, and that Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court exposed the limits of truth-telling in fighting abuse. Effortlessly moving from the novels of Virginia Woolf to the theories of psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, Angel demonstrates a sharp intellectual acuity in her elucidation of the cultural mythos surrounding “daddies.” The result is a valuable contribution to the feminist understanding of fatherhood. (June)
From the Publisher
This is a brave and brilliant book by one of the most insightful and articulate writers at work today. Katherine Angel is unafraid to look head on at the forgotten figure in feminism’s critique of patriarchy: the father. All of us, daughters and sons, mothers and fathers, are enriched by confronting these libidinal energies, these daddy issues at the centre of all of our lives.”
—Lauren Elkin, author of Flâneuse
“One of our most daring, exciting and nuanced writers.”
—Deborah Levy, author of Real Estate
“A timely, necessary work from one of our most vital thinkers. Moving with ease across psychoanalysis, popular culture and literary criticism, weaponising the thought of Woolf, Winnicott and Solanas, Daddy Issues flips the familial script and takes aim at all our Daddies: domestic, cultural, patriarchal, even presidential. The result is a wincingly perceptive, deeply engaged book, one that takes us into the dark heart of a cultural fixation, then shows us, with deep care and empathy, the way back out.”
—Sam Byers, author of Perfidious Albion
“In this probing and erudite essay, Katherine Angel asks ‘Is it ever possible to get rid of the father, or is he forever internalised?’ Angel traces the many ways that culture and life reflect the needs of father figures over and above those of ‘daughters,’ and how through both imagination and collective attention, we can begin to see and dismantle some of this power. A beautiful and necessary read.”
—Emilie Pine, author of Notes to Self
“In this impressive and intelligent examination of the father figure, Angel expertly intersects the subject with feminism, mythology, Donald Winnicott, Brett Kavanaugh and more. Her unstinting eye and intellectual vigour make Daddy Issues an engaging interrogation. It feels utterly vital in the context of #MeToo and the political flux the world currently finds itself in.”
—Sinéad Gleeson, author of Constellations: Reflections from Life
“A brilliant investigation into the father figure in culture that is also a powerful intervention in the #MeToo debate. Through it all, I think, sounds a call to be present for each other, attentive and open, willing to work for each other’s full personhood.”
—Adam Foulds, author of The Quickening Maze
“In Daddy Issues, Katherine Angel holds the image of the father in a steady, critical gaze, generating both questions and hesitations, and opening up a vital space in which to challenge how power works in the family.”
—David Hayden, author of Darker with the Lights On
“Effortlessly moving from the novels of Virginia Woolf to the theories of psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, Angel demonstrates a sharp intellectual acuity in her elucidation of the cultural mythos surrounding ‘daddies.’ The result is a valuable contribution to the feminist understanding of fatherhood.”
—Publishers Weekly
“In this cheekily titled feminist analysis, author Katherine Angel dissects the patriarchy with a sharp combination of individual psychology and cultural critique. An exciting follow-up to Tomorrow Sex Will Be Good Again.”
—Alison Foreman, AV Club
“Katherine Angel’s astute observations on the impact of the #MeToo movement, the retrenchment of feminism by younger women, and our current state of gender relations is compelling.”
—Roberta E. Winter, New York Journal of Books
“An examination of our often prurient fascination with the dynamic, and that fascination’s inherent misogyny. [Angel’s] thought-provoking approach is to argue that our society has overlooked the place of daddies in ‘daddy issues.’ To prove the point, she dexterously analyzes a variety of literary works, historical figures like Virginia Woolf’s father, Leslie Stephen, and contemporary tabloid examples, like Meghan Markle and Ivanka Trump.”
—Annie Hamilton, New York Times Book Review
