The Color of Dad

by Sara Davis, Neil Hellegers (Narrator)

Told in the form of a letter from an academic to his estranged brother, The Color of Dad is a darkly comic short story of a married couple, Nathaniel and Cate, in crisis, from the critically acclaimed author of The Scapegoat.

I don’t agree with many of the words you’ve used, but I will give you this: They do have a way of looking at you sideways that can be unsettling. So begins a letter from Nathaniel, a PhD candidate who’s recently moved from the east coast to Orinda, California. Nathaniel knows that his brother, Brice, who still lives near their mother in Michigan, couldn’t possibly understand the nuances of his and Cate’s new life: their eclectic community, their work in academia, and the liberal, alternative thinking that shapes the way they’ve handled their fertility issues. But here, he will do his best to explain, and in the process, unravel a poignant psychological portrait of a man desperate for a happy family.

Genres: Audiobook, Short Stories, Fiction

Audiobook

Published December 9, 2021

Reviews

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 3 stars**
Audio 4 stars**
Narrator Neil Hellegers

[Laine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Weird… just so weird. Not what I was expecting and wish I could get my hour back.

[Angela Piper · Rating 1 out of 5]

For a book this short it did not keep my attention well.

[Ceola · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not sure what to think about this short story. It's almost as if you walked into a room in the middle of a conversation with someone. When I finished reading it I decided to go back and try again. Obviously I missed some thing. But no it was as my initial reading of it was,confusing good luck if you decide to listen or read this maybe someone can let me know what the hell was going on!

[Lanie J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am SO confused? breastfeeding rabbits?? the rabbit girlfriend? what’s going on and why does the main character make me feel soooo icky and SCARED?

[Sarah Flynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh. The protagonist was a pedantic whatever who was supposedly writing a letter to his estranged brother after receiving a communication from him; he was ostensibly trying to explain his and his wife's life choices regarding fertility.
Problems: 1. The protagonist was wholly unlikeable. He was patronizing to such a degree that honestly I wanted to smack him. He used that typical tone that over-educated but under-imaginative people use: "Look at me with all my big words; but you can't understand me, so let me dumb it down for you." Ugh. If I got a letter like that, I would rip it up and be glad to be 2500 miles away from the person who wrote it.
2. The choice that needed explaining, which is what caused the division in the family and required the letter writing in the first place, was so weird and stupid as to be implausible. Now, I have not researched it and I do not know for certain that this type of thing never happens. But I remember once I wrote a story and included a TRUE LIFE DETAIL OF SOMETHING THAT REALLY HAPPENED TO SOMEONE IN MY OWN FAMILY. Write what you know, right? Not always. My mentor explained that some details are just so specific and odd that even if true, they are unreliable to most if not all people. I think the regiment this couple went through was something like that. Does it every happen? I really don't know. But it's so freaky and unlikely that I don't believe it happens. And then it just becomes a distraction. Why would I stretch my brain trying to understand characters I don't like doing something I don't believe anyone would every actually do?
I wouldn't. Instead, I would feel a bit grumpy about the time I wasted. So don't talk to me, I'm grumpy.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a short story about a man writing to his estranged brother about parenthood. It tries hard to be funny. It’s a neurotic rant about fertility. Makes me quite proud I’m childfree. More people are deciding not to have kids and I hope we will finally start seeing some titles about the childfree choice.

[Iva · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so weird and in some way disrespectful I didn't like it at all

[Arthur Boslar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story told to the MC's brother in the form of a letter, about how the couple (the MC and his wife) handled the immense grief of the loss of a child.
It is very odd, but not entirely without merit.
Mental illnesses and a chaffing personality are involved.
It is very short, and not the best example of writing.

[Taylar Lawrence · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shoulda listened to the reviews :(

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't find this very memorable. Sorry.

[Reei . · Rating 1 out of 5]

All I know is a throughly confused about the breastfeeding of the rabbits 😂

[Ashlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

…. What the actual fuck did I just read? This was so hard to follow and made absolutely no sense to me, no matter how hard I was trying to pay attention. Nope. Not for me!

[jennalikebook · Rating 1 out of 5]

wut the fuk

[Hali Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird, short, and worth reading.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a fan

[rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

They turned into fucking rabbits?! Pardon?!

[counter-hegemonicon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely getting unjustifiably hated on. The plot is bizarre but the style is good

[McKenzie Martines · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m not sure what the real point was but I didn’t like it

[Desi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe my current situation makes my view biased but I enjoyed how this story sheds light into how weird grieving a loss of a child through stillbirth can be. While yes some of the aspects were very wild, i.e. the breastfeeding the rabbits, I also thought of how weird it feels trying to dry up your supply after that kind of loss in general and chalked it up to the weird way Cate coped whether I agreed with it or not. While that portion of grieving a loss seems odd, the using animals to help one heal isn't unusual in my opinion.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't decide what this story is trying to satire. Is it parenthood? Is it infertility? Does the author know? Truly a bizarre little story that seems nuts but maybe is going to be part of some weird dystopic future.

[RatGrrrl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange, Fascinating, and Moving

Short stories are little windows into the lives of others and this is a particularly odd and emotional one that resonated with me. Judging by the other reviews, your mileage may vary.

[G. Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird, very unlikeable protagonist, passive aggressive and arrogant. Odd story, breast feeding rabbits? I felt like I had misheard but no. Strange, strange, strange, but good narration and certainly weird enough to keep it in my head for some time

[Nicole Sanborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strange, but I enjoyed the listen

[Akshay Gupta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick one about how a dad struggles and supports the family but fails to grapple the listener.
Definitely a one time read.

[Chris L. · Rating 1 out of 5]

This felt like being held hostage by a man who won't stop talking. The man goes from one thing to the next and the underlying story (losing a child) is lost his unending rants.

[Jazisunray Skillern · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was just ok is all I got.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the heck did I just listen to???

[Kimberly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm very confused by this story. It's about the aftermath in loss of pregnancy, but I'm unclear if the rabbits are supposed to a metaphor for something else or just rabbits?

[Kendra Pond · Rating 2 out of 5]

I literally… have no words..