Tag: dad’s new dress

Local Book Review: Dad’s New Dress

Spent most of Pride month, and the following month too (what? I’m a slow reader and a busy chap!) reading an apt book, given to me be by a local amateur author, Molly Anderson……

Okay, it’s blatantly obvious from the off Molly is a pseudonym and while written third person narrative the motivation to write this comes from personal experience. Dad’s New Dress is the eye-catching title, immediately evoking the archaic comical connotations of a Carry-On film. Yet while there’s subtle elements of humour, humour and drinking concerns away are just two of the initial coping strategies of the main character, Suzie, when she receives an email from her father informing her, he’s coming out of the closet at seventy-years old and wants to identify as female. Shock and concern are the others. Now you see the reasoning for anonymity.

I like to think I’m acquiescent and submissive towards homosexuality and transgender, as is the virtue of modern thinking. Despite not being a construct I personally gravitate to, I take the opinion as someone’s gender preference affects me in no way whatsoever, why should it matter or bother me? Then I sympathise with the unpleasantness and misery anyone in such a position must face by the prejudices of others, and, taking this with the historical pretexts which has progressed us to this common acceptance, I feel, as the month of June suggests, pride. Pride that we now live in a society where the majority accept and are supportive of homosexuality and transgender rights.

Though we’ve reached this triumphant stage in equality there’s a concern rearward thinking traditionalists promoting homophobia is growing. As an open-minded person, I assume I wouldn’t succumb to such, but while I’ve had a few friends come out as gay, I’ve never had something so monumentally significant as a close family member tell me they want to change gender, like my dad.  Dad’s New Dress raises this alarm, challenges one’s resolution towards the notion, should the reader put themselves in Suzie’s shoes, and perhaps they should, perhaps we all should, for it brings to the boil several areas of common concern.

Though they live in separate countries, the twenty-something daughter Suzie was clearly once Daddy’s girl, and the revelation has shocked her, the progression of the narrative is her coming to terms with it.

It’s loosely written, chatty, the dialogue often obscures the darkest thoughts of Suzie or otherwise, perhaps too much, for me; I wanted to get deeper inside her head, and feel a first person narrative may’ve worked better for this. This is a feminine orientated coffee break read, and, without stereotyping too much, women tend to favour this style; chick-flick! You’ll get expansive off-topic conversation, subtly humorous and thoughtfully laid out, and know precisely what every character is wearing! Rather than a more masculine approach; Suzie doesn’t murder her father and escape hanging out of a helicopter while a rainbow uniformed SWAT team try to pick her off!

If you’re looking for comic book sensationalism, this isn’t for you. It’s steady, reality-driven substance which knowledgably raises several interesting questions. Could you maintain your acceptance of the equality of gender preference, knowing next time you see your old man he’s going to wearing a dress?! It must be said, Suzie’s concerns teeter on the homophobic to begin with, or at least confusion as to how she will now interact and address her father. If that is, to be concerned for her own wellbeing and future interactions with her father isn’t rather selfish, the emotions her father must be dealing with are not really covered from the one-sided angle the author has taken.

We’re treated to many of Suzie’s reminiscences, recollections of interactions with her father as a young girl, and while there’s vague hints of his gender orientation, it goes obviously unnoticed by the innocence of her childhood. It is these parts which are the best written and emotive. They will come to the forefront when Suzie reunions with her father and rebuilds their relationship. The family bond shapes her blossoming acceptance for her father’s desires, despite the growing intensity of the issue, from the initial etiquette in public and the paranoia of other’s reactions, to the later concerns for his gender realignment operation and partners, and throughout, her complete failure to use the correct pronouns!   

Yeah, so it’s diary-like, with an erm, an open-ended but happier ending, and it is certainly thought-provoking. The creativeness of writing and ability to drive a plot here isn’t as polished as it could be, yet it is inspired, and written with honour, dedication and emotion. Its charm is this individualised touch.

We live in a better world, not only for those with gender matters, but also for the scope of literature. Mainstream publishing limits material to the select few experts, whereas self-publishing opens the opportunity and freedom of expression to everyone. Everyone has a story to tell, this is Molly’s (or their real name,) and it’s told for anyone to read.

You can buy Dad’s New Dress, (not buy your dad a new dress!!) at Devizes Books, or online here.

Trending….

Rooks; New Single From M3G

Chippenham folk singer-songwriter, M3G (because she likes a backward “E”) has a new single out tomorrow, Friday 19th December. Put your jingly bell cheesy tunes…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.