Yes, Daddy

By: Jonathan Parks-Ramage

Narrated by: Kevin R. Free

""A gut-churning, heart-wrenching, blockbuster of a first novel . . . Parks-Ramage is an extraordinary new talent and Yes, Daddy is truly something special."" —Kristen Arnett, author of Mostly Dead Things

A propulsive, scorching modern gothic, Yes, Daddy follows an ambitious young man who is lured by an older, successful playwright into a dizzying world of wealth and an idyllic Hamptons home where things take a nightmarish turn.

Jonah Keller moved to New York City with dreams of becoming a successful playwright, but, for the time being, lives in a rundown sublet in Bushwick, working extra hours at a restaurant only to barely make rent. When he stumbles upon a photo of Richard Shriver—the glamorous Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright and quite possibly the stepping stone to the fame he craves—Jonah orchestrates their meeting. The two begin a hungry, passionate affair.

When summer arrives, Richard invites his young lover for a spell at his sprawling estate in the Hamptons. A tall iron fence surrounds the idyllic compound where Richard and a few of his close artist friends entertain, have lavish dinners, and—Jonah can’t help but notice—employ a waitstaff of young, attractive gay men, many of whom sport ugly bruises. Soon, Jonah is cast out of Richard’s good graces and a sinister underlay begins to emerge. As a series of transgressions lead inexorably to a violent climax, Jonah hurtles toward a decisive revenge that will shape the rest of his life.

Riveting, unpredictable, and compulsively readable, Yes, Daddy is an exploration of class, power dynamics, and the nuances of victimhood and complicity. It burns with weight and clarity—and offers hope that stories may hold the key to our healing.

Shocking and many twists

The story was all over the place. It reads like a consistent letter to someone so at times it’s hard to tell when something is currently happening or if it’s just a memory. This style of story telling is not my cup of tea. I also didn’t find myself rooting for the main character.

Me Too

This book is fiction but it does reflect a lot of what has happen in the reason years with powerful men abusing there power and taking advantage of others. We all saw them fall from grace and we all saw their true nature.

This story we follow a young man who went thru the same thing. I do wish the author would have gone more in depth with what he went thru afterwards because the story does focus more on what he went thru and the ending was the result. We do see how he was pulled into this world and tricked into this and at times I was frustrated that he wasn't strong enough to fight back and to be honest he was always the victim. And this puts the reader in that mind set of wondering what you would do and how people fall to this.

Was this over exaggerated for the purpose of the book? I would say yes but then I heard the stories of what actually has happened and then I think maybe it's not.

It's a good story overall all but I am left unsatisfied. I wish he had burn everything down, that he should have fought back a long time ago. The main character I just found so hard to relate because I was always seeing good opportunities by pass him but he wouldn't take them.

And from a very young age he is easily manipulated and has a high sex drive and has always done risky things so sometimes you do blame him for everything but also feel sympathy because he shouldn't of been treated like that.

I will say that that must be what the book is all about, It's not simple and it's not easy.

I didn't expect so much

Before the revelation of conversion therapy, I didn't like the protagonist at all. He seemed to be an opportunist, but as his story was revealed, I kept rooting for him to succeed and find peace. The narrator is brilliant; he brought the story to life. Some of the reviews left here miss the point about Christianity and rich old white men abusing their power (remember Eppstein? remember Weinstein?) and many of us have turned to the church only to be hurt by it. I wept for Jonah and I wept for the relationship I shared with my father. I think this is excellent work and I look forward to reading more by him.

Poor story but a good reader!

This book features a slew of terrible characters including the narrator who don’t seem to grow much (if at all.) A fairly frustrating listen when hearing about similar abuse structures in three consecutive experiences without any variant of the main character in behavior. Ultimately about letting life happen to you instead of creating or even influencing your own experience the climax isn’t climactic at all, but more just feels like the author dropping their pen with a mildly convenient conclusion.

Wouldn’t recommend it

Daddy issues with preacher’s kid

I wish there weren’t so many books & movies about gay men who are weak victims or villains. We should be projecting a more positive strong image. I got sick of all the religious stuff.