My Fair Daddy by B. Robert Conklin (Book Review #2400)

My Fair Daddy by B. Robert Conklin is an emotionally charged coming-of-age story that places a teenager at the intersection of body image, family upheaval, identity, and the complicated realities of love.

At the center of the novel is Maddie, a bold and outspoken teenager determined to have her body accepted exactly as it is. Her confidence, however, exists alongside the relentless weight-shaming she experiences, creating a conflict between how she sees herself and the judgment constantly imposed upon her. Her journey is therefore not simply about growing up, but about learning how to define herself when other people are determined to define her first.

Maddie’s already complicated life becomes considerably more difficult when her transgender father’s upcoming surgery forces a major change in her circumstances. She is sent to stay with her estranged biological father, a man whose life and beliefs could hardly feel further removed from her own. His militia-style compound, where he protects his Colombian wife and her sons from deportation, introduces Maddie to an unfamiliar family environment and a world of tensions she is not prepared to navigate.

Yet the novel does not reduce family relationships to simple categories of good and bad. Maddie’s time with her extended family allows an unexpected connection to develop, making its eventual disruption particularly painful. When an unforeseen outcome following her father’s operation sends him into a downward spiral, Maddie’s life is once again thrown into uncertainty, and she finds herself forced to remain in Oregon against her wishes.

Her response is both desperate and revealing. Going AWOL from her new middle school, Maddie embarks on an ordeal that pushes her physical and emotional limits. What follows becomes a test of resilience, forcing her to rely on inner resources she may not have realized she possessed.

What makes Maddie’s story particularly compelling is that she does not emerge untouched by everything she experiences. She is depleted, challenged, and changed—but not defeated. Her decision to seek out mountains, both literal and symbolic, provides an evocative image for the difficult work of rebuilding relationships and understanding herself.

At the heart of My Fair Daddy is Maddie’s complicated relationship with the parent she understands least but loves deeply. That contradiction gives the story much of its emotional power. Love does not always eliminate confusion, disagreement, or hurt; sometimes it means continuing to search for connection despite them.

Conklin presents a young protagonist facing an extraordinary amount of upheaval while still confronting the very ordinary struggles of adolescence: belonging, self-worth, family, and identity. The result is a layered coming-of-age story about resilience and the difficult process of finding solid ground when nearly everything familiar seems to be shifting.

Written by Jayran Main