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Strange Encounters with your Other Father
351 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
August 31, 2026
Not going to lie… This book is not for the weak stomached. It is almost as if the author is trying to think of the most repugnant things imaginable and continually one-up himself as the journey progresses.
Also, this is the third installment of the series, and I had not read the other two. That wasn’t a deterrent to understanding the plot but perhaps would have prepared me for the gross-out factor.
All things being said, the ugly and repulsive creatures mentioned throughout the novel act as a metaphor for perhaps the ugliest thing in the narrative that the two openly gay and deeply loving titular couple encounters… homophobia. The story follows a college-aged daughter and her adventures cross-country recreating her two father’s adventurous road trip from the 80s. She is joined by her trusting professor who has his own theories on how she and her father can connect with their past.
In the end it is a redemptive love story. One full of letting go of regret, tackling personal demons head on, both the literal and figurative ones, and making oneself vulnerable enough to admit when they were wrong. It’s a love portrait of two loving father’s and their journey to protect their only adopted daughter.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel but be warned you will go through a roller coaster of emotions to get there, the least of which isn’t your gag reflex. Despite the narrative devices’ naming convention in the novel, there is nothing “glamorous” about them. This book is guaranteed to stick with you for a while, and make you think twice before you bully someone, even if only in jest. That, to me, it’s most redeeming quality.
A very unique twist on a modern family that will keep you guessing to the glorious end. By the book’s conclusion, you will have to rethink the journey, wondering which character to trust and which pulled the black magic ectoplasm over your eyes. Either way, you will have put some miles between you and your old self, therein lies the point of the exercise.
Also, this is the third installment of the series, and I had not read the other two. That wasn’t a deterrent to understanding the plot but perhaps would have prepared me for the gross-out factor.
All things being said, the ugly and repulsive creatures mentioned throughout the novel act as a metaphor for perhaps the ugliest thing in the narrative that the two openly gay and deeply loving titular couple encounters… homophobia. The story follows a college-aged daughter and her adventures cross-country recreating her two father’s adventurous road trip from the 80s. She is joined by her trusting professor who has his own theories on how she and her father can connect with their past.
In the end it is a redemptive love story. One full of letting go of regret, tackling personal demons head on, both the literal and figurative ones, and making oneself vulnerable enough to admit when they were wrong. It’s a love portrait of two loving father’s and their journey to protect their only adopted daughter.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel but be warned you will go through a roller coaster of emotions to get there, the least of which isn’t your gag reflex. Despite the narrative devices’ naming convention in the novel, there is nothing “glamorous” about them. This book is guaranteed to stick with you for a while, and make you think twice before you bully someone, even if only in jest. That, to me, it’s most redeeming quality.
A very unique twist on a modern family that will keep you guessing to the glorious end. By the book’s conclusion, you will have to rethink the journey, wondering which character to trust and which pulled the black magic ectoplasm over your eyes. Either way, you will have put some miles between you and your old self, therein lies the point of the exercise.
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review