Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly.Abused by her mother, Amalia Graeme longs to escape her desolate hometown and fall in love. Contemplating her loss of innocence and conflicting feelings between her boyfriend and the dangerous attraction for … dangerous attraction for an older man, Amalia faces life-altering tragedies.
Brianna Porter, a sassy, angst-ridden New York City teenager, yearns to find her life’s true purpose, conquer her fear of abandonment, and interpret an intimidating desire for her best friend, Shanelle. Desperate to find the father whom her mother refuses to reveal, Brianna accidentally finds out a shocking truth about her missing parent.
Set in alternating chapters two decades apart, the parallels between their lives and the unavoidable collision that is bound to happen is revealed. Father Figure is an emotional story filled with mystery, romance, and suspense.
Praise from readers:
★★★★★ – “The book deals with abuse, identity, acceptance, overcoming obstacles, crime, sexuality, family secrets, and knowing who you are. Another great story to read, especially if you love emotive, suspenseful family dramas.”
★★★★★ – “Gripping and emotional… Mr. Cudney has written a book full of twists and turns that kept my eyes glued to its pages.”
★★★★★ – “Amalia and Brianna are fully developed characters with all the fears, naivety, anxiety and angst of teen, young adults; full of questions and doubts… Can’t wait for James Cudney’s next work.”
more
A coming of age story!
Set in a dual timeframe, the author creates a story of innocence lost, parental abuse, uncovered secrets, and the journey two young women take on the road to self-discovery.
Cudney uses the juxtaposition of completely different personalities- Amelia is shy and innocent while Brianna is confident and independent- to highlight underlying similarities. Both long for acceptance and love in a world that often seems unforgiving and harsh.
The plotline is nothing short of brilliant, with a surprise ending you won’t guess is coming!
I give Father Figure 5 lovely kisses- A family saga with thorns!
Father Figure is an intriguing story of two women’s journeys, at two different points in time, towards self acceptance and redemption.
Amalia grew up in the small town of Brant, Mississippi, the abused daughter of a jealous and spiteful mother, who suffers from diabetes, and a weak and insipid father, who turns a blind eye to his wife’s physical and verbal abuse of his daughter. Despite her father’s faults, Amalia is devoted to her father. Her love for her father does not prevent her from seeking to create a better life for herself away from Brant and she accepts a sports scholarship to Woodlands College. Amalia’s sheltered and dysfunctional home life does not equip her for life at a university full of young men and women. She becomes romantically involved with Carter, her brother’s rather childish and selfish best friend, and simultaneously meet a middle aged, but attractive, professor who she develops a huge crush on. Amalia’s naivety set her up to make poor romantic choices and other decisions that change the course of her life.
Brianna is the lonely and slightly indulged teenage daughter of a single fairly successful career woman living in New York City. She has grown up without a father figure and has an obsession with finding out more about the mystery man who fathered her. Her mother refuses to engage with her on the subject, saying it is part of her painful past. Brianna knows virtually nothing about her mother’s family and this increases her frustration at her mother’s refusal to tell her about her roots. Brianna is also confused about her sexuality and is locked in an internal struggle to discover whether she is attracted to men or whether her attraction for her best friend, Shanelle, is the real thing. In order to give herself some space, away from her over-protective mother, Brianne decides to apply to Woodlands College, which is out of state and the same college Shanelle has decided to attend.
Brianna’s decision to attend Woodland’s sets in motion a sequence of events that unravel the mysteries of the past and cause the separate timelines of Amalia and her to cross with unforeseen consequences.
I thoroughly enjoyed this family drama.
This is the third book I’ve read by Mr. Cudney and I have nothing but praise for this young adult, coming of age story that tugged at every emotion―love, hate, sadness, astonishment, disbelief, fear, contempt, compassion, and finally, the exaltation and satisfaction one feels after a long journey to self-discovery. Father Figure explores emotional and physical abuse and their psychological outcomes― anxiety, anger, depression, insecurity, distrust, clouded by dark family secrets.
Superbly, Mr. Cudney weaves the past and present stories of two unique characters, Amalia Graeme and Brianna Porter, that come together seamlessly. Amalia and Brianna, two young women of different eras, share similar issues revolving around family secrets, love, acceptance, and sexual identity. One dominant theme in each woman’s life is the elusive, consummate father figure they desire in their lives.
Constantly abused by her monstrous mother, the only affection Amalia receives is from her adoring father who’s too weak to stand up to his wife and end her daily torment. Desperate to escape her small town and her mother’s control, Amalia leaves for college eager to discover true love, a new life, and herself. On an emotional level, Amalia seeks a man like her father, caring, mature, and wise. Will she find these qualities in the three men in her life―Bryan, Carter, or Jonah?
“Somedays, he was a replacement for the love I’d lost when my father died… Other days, I found myself attracted to him and his comforting arms and brilliant mind. He was an amazing man.”
When Riley, a young man with malicious intent, appears on campus, fate alters Amalia’s expectations and dreams. Devastated by two personal losses, and brutal rape, Amalia leaves college back to her hometown, her abusive mother, and spirals into depression. Is there hope for her? Will she survive what fate has placed in her life?
Conversely, Brianna raised by an overly protective, single mom in New York City, is anxious to unearth her real father and her mother’s secret past which Molly refuses to discuss.
“You won’t talk about anything, and the details are very fuzzy. What girl wouldn’t have curiosity about her father especially when her mother goes out of her way to hide who he is?”
To top it off, Brianna’s confused by her feelings for her best friend Shanelle, but the need to find her father overshadows her uncertain sexual identity.
“Brianna ultimately traced her indecisiveness and lack of comfort within her own skin to an all-consuming need to discover the identity of her father…Fathers always protected their little girls and showered them with love.”
Off to college and a new life as a student, Brianna discovers her mother’s diary stuffed in the bottom of an old duffel bag. What she discovers will change her life forever.
Father Figure is aptly titled as both characters search the perfect love to fill or replace their father’s. I love the technique Mr. Cudney employs to bring each character together for the big reveal toward the end. It resembled a whodunit scenario and kept me guessing and anticipating more clues to the lucky or unlucky man. And Just as I believed I knew the answer, Mr. Cudney throws another variable into the plot, ramping up the suspense.
As a male, writing from a female perspective, I’m astonished how well Mr. Cudney captured a teenage girls’ insecurities, doubts, and sexual anxieties. I applaud Mr. Cudney for tastefully written scenes that could have been more explicit.
Father figure is filled with twists and turns and loads of suspense as the story intertwines past and future, building to an emotional rollercoaster and a satisfying conclusion. It’s a journey well worth the time and a novel I highly recommend. Thanks for another fantastic read, Mr. Cudney!
Family Secrets That Wouldn’t Stay Hidden
Father Figure, by James John Cudney IV, is a book I stayed up all night to finish. Practical as I am, I’ve never done that before. This is Cudney’s second book and I have read both. He has the ability to create human emotion as specifically required by the characters he creates. He tells this story from the point of view of the two female characters. Surely, he has a deep understanding of and human nature.
Regardless the characters that Cudney creates, this reader was solidly inside each character’s mind. Cudney is adept at creating female emotion and personality. That is not to say his male characters are lacking. This is definitely not the case, but it takes a special writer to write from an opposite point of view and get it right. In the case of this story, Father Figure, each character is unique to the parts they play. Also, the way this author tells the story of two women with different pasts running concurrently throughout the book, contributes to the shocking ending. Before I go too deep into analyzing the great writing and story-telling ability, I should comment on the plot.
All the character threads are intrinsically entwined, the twists and turns unexpected. It makes me wonder how this young author understands so much that he is able to turn his knowledge of life into a story such as this. Surely, he has a phenomenal imagination. This is a story of teenage angst of growing into adulthood and seeking to learn the secrets of her family’s past. It’s a mother’s worry trying to protect her daughter till she’s old enough to handle bitter truths, and maybe not even then. Should secrets be laid bare or left hidden? This story took hold and the sudden plot twists wouldn’t let go. And what an ending! I couldn’t have delayed reading till another day if I wanted. It was worth losing sleep. This story stays in my mind.
Father Figure opens with a crime scene that leaves you guessing till the final chapter.
The reader follows the journey of Amalia who is about to leave her hometown in rural Mississippi, for college in 1984, but is subjected to cruel abuse from her mother Janet. Her father, whom she dearly loves, turns a blind eye. Although Amalia has a boyfriend, she eventually falls in love with an older man.
It is 2004, and Brianna aged 19, lives in New York with her mother Molly, and is unsure about her sexuality. She longs to learn about her father but her mother holds onto her own dark secrets and will not open up to her daughter…
The story alternates between Amalia and Brianna’s journey until the final chapters when the truth is unveiled.
James J. Cudney writes with great sensitivity, on a number of thought provoking issues.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
James has done it again! Not that I’m suprised because Watching Glass Shatter was amazing, but Father Figure blew me away. I flew through this book, I couldn’t get enough of the story.
I loved the alternating timelines, getting glimpses into Amalia and Brianna’s lives and watching how the girl’s stories intermingled. The plot was intriguing and well thought out. Everything fell into place. Few writers can do this kind of thing without losing their readers. I never felt lost, and was always on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how everything connected.
The characters were truly fleshed out, and felt like real people. The contrast of Amalia’s harsh childhood and sweet innocence versus Brianna’s lost and rebellious attitude was amazing. Both girls had defining moments, and both girls grew as characters. I loved how intricate and detailed these characters were – it made me care deeply about their stories, and took me on an emotional roller coaster.
I think the writing and dialogue is brilliant and beautiful. There was never any overly descriptive paragraphs. We were able to feel what was going on, and I never found myself bored. I was constantly asking questions and trying to put the puzzle pieces together.
Father Figure is a truly well crafted novel. It is smart, suspenseful and intricate. I highly suggest this novel, it isn’t one you want to miss out on.
No matter how I may have grappled with the subject matter, there’s no denying this novel should be considered classic literature. The Dickensian plot spans from the 80’s to the early 2000’s, and covers the intertwined story of two college-aged girls learning to cope with difficult circumstances. The painful emotions and heart wrenching situations these two young ladies face are described by a sensitive male author who obviously has a deep understanding of women.
Shades of Melville and Hawthorne cleverly tickled my tear ducts. “Call me Molly,” as if Ismael rose from the Pequod. “Was it time to tell the truth?” Molly wonders. And, Brianna’s quest to find her father could certainly be compared to hunting for a great white whale. Feeling abandoned by her father, Brianna has an identity crisis the size of the ocean and her mother doesn’t want to talk about it.
Is her father Carter, the man who never grows up? Is it Jonah? Could it be Riley? Perhaps her friend Shanelle’s father said it best, “Sometimes we have to suffer through something difficult to find that solitary ray of hope for the future.” Will Brianna ever find her truth? Read Father Figure and find out!
Father Figure is a family mystery novel opening on the prologue scene of a terrible accident in a cabin at Crestwood Resort and Lodge, an accident that foreshadows the unfolding of an intriguing web of dysfunction and lies. A man holding a knife to a woman’s throat, demanding to know what was in the envelope. The question – where are you hiding my daughter? The awful crash through the cabin window.
The story jumps back to 1984, to teenage Amalia and her grotesque and vile mother, Janet, daughter of a Baptist minister. Amalia’s old and infirm father, Peter, is no use when it comes to protecting her from his wife’s wrath and Amalia suffers terribly from her mother’s cruelty. Might be a trigger warning here for some. The abusive dynamics take place in Brant, a small town in Mississippi where the family own a store. Amalia is poised to go to college on a scholarship. She idolises her father and is eager to escape her mother’s clutches. What sort of father figure is he, really?
Meanwhile, in 2004, Brianna is hanging out with her best friend, Shanelle, at college in Pennsylvania. Brianna is the daughter of a single mum and she’s on a quest to discover the identity of her father. Her mother is tightlipped and refuses to reveal all and Brianna is consumed by the not knowing.
What unfolds in alternating chapters is a gripping mystery with all the twists and turns and narrative bounces the genre demands. Cudney has a knack of drawing the reader into what is essentially a dark and disturbing coming of age story. His descriptions evoke a strong sense of place and all the characters are well-rounded and delightfully quirky yet entirely plausible. Cudney gets inside the hearts and minds of his twin protagonists, and especially the torment of these two young women who are struggling to deal with family circumstances. In the end, what Brianna discovers will shock her to her core. Highly recommended to lovers of mysteries.
Family, parents and other issues!
An emotional and dramatic life journey of two quite different girls with family issues. A heartfelt story of suspense, adventure and hard lessons. Good style, well developed and realistic characters.
The story is divided between two young women.
The year is 1984 and Amalia, who lives in a small town, is about to set out for college. She is desperate to get away from her abusive mother, Janet, who has been cruel towards her all her life. Though her father sympathizes with his daughter, he, is reluctant to stand up against his dominating wife. Once she is away from home, she finds a boyfriend, before falling in love with a much older man.
The scene changes to 2004, where Brianna is preparing to leave for college. She was brought up by her loving, though over-protective. single mother and they have always got along well together. However, Brianna, never having a father around while she was growing up, is keen to learn who he is. and why he wasn’t there for her But her mother is reluctant to pass on any information. Therefore, she tries to find out for herself.
The story continues with the chapters alternating between the two young women; telling their stories of love, fear and disappointment.
It is only in the final chapters that the truth behind the two young women begins to emerge.
To say anymore would only spoil it for the reader. However, I will say that I couldn’t put this book down It is such an enthralling read. The author, James J Cudney can certainly keep his readers on the edge of their seats.
I’ve been seeing both of Cudney’s books floating around on Goodreads in my feed for a while now, and I have been wanting to read both of them. I decided to start with his latest one, Father Figure, and I wasn’t sure what was going to go down in it. But boy, this book was a twisty, emotional, and awesome adventure!
Let me start by saying I loved the alternating perspectives between 1984 and 2004. First, I love the 80’s and second I was 19 in 2004 and loved that year! This story is very character driven and as I’ve mentioned before, those are my absolute favorite kinds of books.
Let’s start with Amalia! Oh man, this girl… I loved this character. Not every girl in life is born a fighter. A lot of times a way a person is raised can have a huge impact on who they become. Amalia had one of the worst kind of mothers possible. After a tragedy with her father, circumstances lead Amalia on a journey where sometimes she doesn’t know what she wants—sometimes she is needy, sometimes she wants to find the one goodness she had in life, her father, in someone else. Through all the events, she really grew as a character. And some of the events were downright awful.
Brianna reminded me of several of my friends in high school. Sometimes you just aren’t sure of what you want, be it sexuality, a career, life in general. When you’re young and even as an adult things aren’t always clear. This leads Brianna to also want to find out about her missing father which sets her on a path that leads to all kinds of twists and turns. I’m going to be honest here, I’m quite good at guessing twists, but I did not see these coming.
Father Figure is well written and an addictive novel filled with a bottle full of emotions. I can’t wait to read Cudney’s other book!
The settings: Father Figure makes use of three distinct settings and the author ensures you feel the difference. The stifling heat and oppression of Mississippi’s Summer make you yearn for Amalia to be free of her home and her cruel mother. The bustle of New York City mirrors the confusion and angst Brianna faces as she teeters on the brink of adulthood, haunted by the mystery of her unknown father. Woodland is open and free and briefly provides a respite for two girls in search of something. Each setting is vividly described and plays a vital role in the development of the story.
Amalia: This girl’s one goal, it seems, is to get away from her abusive mother. What she wants more than anything is to be loved and respected. What she needs is protection. What she finds is grief and suffering. I may not be able to relate to Amalia but I felt for her so deeply. The author creates a very rich character here. The reader is sucked into her aspirations, trials and sorrow. Much of what happens to her, is out of her control. There is a bit of ‘poor me’ sentiment yet she’s a survivor and becomes a ferocious protector of her daughter. Ultimately, she determines her own path.
Brianna: Sometimes I wanted to knock some sense into this one; which is a pretty realistic emotion to have when reading about a teenage girl on the cusp of adulthood. Brianna’s reactions and emotions to some subjects are still that of a child learning to manoeuvre in this world, and can be infuriating. Yet, there are moments of tenderness and maturity that belie her tender age. Her relationship with Shanelle challenges her to understand herself and her own feelings. Brianna’s journey of self-discovery is richly layered and makes for a compelling character.
The dual timeline: Recently, I’ve found many books that make use of either dual time lines or flashbacks in the narrative. Often, I don’t like the flashbacks as I feel they’re pulling me back and I want the story to move forward. James does a masterful job of pushing this story forward even as the chapters alternate from the 1980s to the 2000s. Every chapter of Amalia’s and Brianna’s story pushes the overarching narrative forward. I could never decide which story I wanted to be in more. That’s a good problem to have in a book like this. The alternate chapters also help to build the suspense within both separate but related stories.
I enjoyed the pacing of this novel. The beginning, though it paints the setting for the story, is still intriguing and laced with just enough action to pull you in and demand your attention. Within the last third of the story there are many revelations and the action is amped up. Some of these revelations are expected but several are shockers. It can get a little confusing here but the excitement is just right.
There are two seperate stories, spanning twenty years, that take place in FATHER FIGURE. We are first transported back to 1984, in a small Mississipi town, where we meet Amalia Graeme. Amalia is a sweet and innocent young girl that does not have the best home life. Her mother mentally and physically abuses her, her father doesn’t stand up for her, and she has no friends in which to confide in. Amalia is very lonely. She loves her father dearly, but she also knows that her mother rules the home. Amalia’s only escape is knowing that once the summer is over, she will finally be leaving home to go to college. Amalia craves the freedom of being an adult, finally making friends, and maybe having a boyfriend, but college opens up a world filled with even more complications and hardships.
We also delve into the life of Brianna Porter twenty years later in 2004. Brianna comes from a one parent home and she often wonders who her father is and why her mother, Molly, will never talk about him or her past. Brianna feels as if she is missing a big part of herself by being kept away from her dad and the truth. This leads her on a quest to seek answers about her parentage. Besides searching for the truth, Brianna is also trying to come to terms with her sexuality. She is attracted to women, but is fearful of progressing a relationship further with her best friend, Shannele, whom is openly gay.
FATHER FIGURE is such a great name for this book and the name kind of hits home of what the meaning of having a father means to both girls in the story. In a lot of ways, I could relate to both Amalia and Brianna as my father, although a good man, was taken away too soon. So I can understand the closeness Amalia felt to her father and yet I could also feel the pain that Brianna is going through knowing she may never have a father who will walk her down the aisle. Because of this, I felt that I bonded with both Amalia and Brianna as characters going through a similar situation such as mine.
The characterization throughout the story was phenomenal. I really felt that we really got into the hearts and minds of both girls and we can feel all the hope, all the pain, and all the suffering they each go through as they make their way through life. Life for Amalia and Brianna is complicated. There are ups and downs both characters face and as a reader, I journeyed along with them, invested in each of their stories.
The plot moves at a steady pace alternating chapters between Amalia and Brianna until they merge together into one story. James Cudney throw us these little clues, while may not mean anything right away, but when the significance of them hits you in the face, you realize how strategically they were placed and how brilliantly they were written. What brings these two characters together and will they ever find the peace within themselves to ever be happy?
Sometimes when you read a book, you just know from the first couple of chapters that the story being told is going to be one of those stories that surpasses all of your expectations. I am ecstatic to say that FATHER FIGURE is one of them. I tend to enjoy many books that I read and although many of them are five star reads for me, there is always that one book that grabs you in such a way and you know right from the beginning that the story being told is going to be extraordinary. A five star rating wouldn’t even be enough to express how much I loved this book. I know this will not be my only read from James Cudney and I will be adding his first book, Watching Glass Shatter, to my list. James Cudney is a Master at his craft and an author to watch out for.
This was a compelling read, that I found I did not want to put down! Great, multi-faceted characters. Very interesting plot. Vivid descriptions Suspenseful and thrilling. I felt every emotion. Kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. Simply a GREAT read!
Father Figure follows the stories of Amalia Graeme, a teenager looking forward to going off to college in the fall, and Brianna Porter, also a teenager looking forward to going off to college in the fall. But while Amalia wants to escape her abusive household, Brianna just wants to experience college life with her best friend Shanelle, and also find her father, which has nothing to do with wanting to go to college.
This book is very different from anything I’ve read from this author previously but it’s a great and well-written story. It was a little frustrating with switching between different storylines and timelines, especially when one was getting interesting but then you’d come to the end of the chapter and be put back in the other timeline. But it all hangs together very well and I’d advise anyone on the lookout for an angsty, family drama read to give it a go.
I tried a different style from this author. Great. A little heavier than I usually like but the writing is superb.
Father Figure is one of those novels which stays with you long after you finish reading. With a host of intriguing characters dealing with a multitude of issues, I couldn’t put it down. The drama is heavy but the twists kept me invested. The ending was a surprise. Highly recommend!
My Rating: 5 stars
In this somewhat slow moving story of a Mother, her daughter, and the life decisions both have made or are making, the daughter, Brianna, is searching for her father. She will not be deterred. Will she find him? You will have to read the book because I am not going to tell you. She also is searching for her sexuality. Will she be straight or choose a relationship with her bestie, Shanelle. Again I won’t tell you. Read the book! It is well worth the little bit of money necessary to buy it and the time taken to read. The characters are great. The story is woven as though the author was a real pro at creating juxtapositioning, a difficult process in any story. Be prepared if you like to guess about the rest of the book as you read, for some significant surprises. Well worth five stars.
In 1984, naïve 17-year-old, Amalia Graeme, can’t wait for college to start to get away from her hometown Brant, Mississippi and her abusive mother. The only person she’ll miss is her father. It’s just too bad that over the years he did little to protect Amalia from her mother’s physical and emotional abuse.
20 years later, in 2004, another girl, Brianna Porter, is exploring a college campus with her best friend, Shanelle. Always feeling smothered by her over-protective mother, the only parent Brianna has ever known, she can’t wait to head off to school in the fall. Her mother wants her to choose a college close to home in New York City, but Brianna has other plans. It’s not that she doesn’t love her mother, but Brianna needs to get away so she can understand herself and figure out what she wants.
I loved this story with all of its surprises. Just when I thought I had it figured out, a new twist turned everything around. It has been a while since a story had me uttering my shock out loud.
Father figure is a well-woven tale of two young women decades apart. Their stories intertwine until you realize they have more in common then wanting to leave home and needing to find who they are. It is well-written with few errors either grammatically or technically. If you enjoy a well-thought out mystery, then you will enjoy this story.
First, full disclosure, I was given a reader-copy by the author. This in no way alters my review. Second, James Cudney’s novel “Father Figure” is far outside my normal reading genre. Regardless, I enjoyed the story, and was glad for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
“Father Figure” is a story of intersecting lives. It is a tale of two teenage girls, two different times, one family. There are family secrets, big family secrets, and the search for the truth. The plot moves back and forth between the two stories, one of a mother’s past, the other of her daughter’s present. As the novel progresses, the two stories intertwine. I am a big fan of intersecting stories, so that was a plus for this novel.
I admit to struggling, at first, to hear the writer’s voice. Not far into the novel, however, the storyline pulled me in. I mean this as no discredit to the author. As I said, I am very far outside my normal genre with this novel. Once I settled in, I became engaged with the characters. I cared about what happened to them. As a reader, that is fundamentally important to me.
This is a tale of women. Strong women characters carry the plot line. It is a compliment to Mr. Cudney that he is able to craft a convincing female point of view. There was no point in the novel where I thought “This is a man writing about women.” Well done indeed. The male characters in the novel, with a few exceptions, do not shine so brightly.
“Father Figure” is a family saga, made no less a saga because the family is a single mother and her daughter. The past and present collide, often with unforeseen results. The author addresses the issues of family secrets, sexuality, and yearning for the truth. One character locks away the past, the other seeks to uncover the truth of the past. This yearning for an identity, for a family landmark, carries the story forward.
I wish to extend my thanks to Jay for trusting me to read his work. I enjoyed “Father Figure” and look forward to other works by the author.