Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Woman’s Fiction
Description:
“Cass Adams comes from a long line of crazy, and she fears passing
that on to her unborn child. Also, she’s run over Roland and Clay’s surprise
half-brother Britt, landing him in the hospital. With her inner demons coming
out to haunt her, she doesn’t know if she should keep the baby.
Clay Adams has his own decisions to make. His half-brother shows up to
tell him their father, Freddy, is still alive but needs a liver transplant.
When Freddy blew out of town thirty-five years ago, secrets were buried. But
it’s time for them to be dug up, because only then can Clay hope to lay the
past to rest.
Call Me Daddy is a story of family, the secrets they keep, and to what
lengths someone would go to protect them.”
Author:
“I want readers to take something away from my books and short
stories: something memorable, whether it be an interesting protagonist, an
emotion or a moment in time. Depending on what characters decide to sit beside
me on a particular day, I may write historical fiction or quirky, dark humor.
My interests are as diverse as my writing. I am at home fishing on a
river, riding horses in the mountains, reading on a beach, hiking through the
desert or playing pirate with my friends. I don't believe in growing old and I
refuse to grow up.”
To learn more about Ms. Gamble check out her website or Facebook page.
Appraisal:
Call Me Daddy is above all a story of family, much like the novelty
song “I’m My Own Grandpa” written in 1947 by Dwight Latham and Moe Jaffe. They
got the idea for the song from a book of Mark Twain anecdotes. I’m sorry, I
couldn’t resist the reference because it made me laugh.
Honestly, though this story isn’t nearly that complicated, but it is
tangled, and is certainly not nearly as funny. However, there is a lot of dark
humor employed with complicated emotions throughout the story. Ms. Gamble
slowly unravels secrets of old friends and family in a delft manner using
multiple points-of-view that are clearly marked by chapter headings. This style
choice also produced some repetition of facts. I tried to overlook those
instances because it lets the reader know that the character was also aware of
those same secrets.
Deacon, Kansas is a small town with many memorable quirky
personalities. Most are longtime residents that grew up in the area and know
everyone else’s business. The twists in the plot are realistic and surprising.
There were times the book was hard to put down. Hard decisions had to be made
by the Adams’ family members. While others could only watch and be there to
pick up the pieces in case things went awry. Call Me Daddy is a poignant story
where skeletons are forced out of the closet to dance on the graves of those
passed and at times the souls of the living.
I look forward to more stories from Deacon, Kansas. I’m almost
embarrassed to admit that this setting is almost in my neck of the woods and
the residents seem like family to me. Which may be why I prefer to escape into
fantasy and paranormal books. However, Ms. Gamble is quickly becoming a
favorite author.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
Call Me Daddy is the sequel to They Call Me Crazy, and can
be read as a standalone novel.
Original review posted on December 23, 2016.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant proofing or formatting issues.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate word count: 80-85,000 words
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