My Father’s Diet
My Father’s Diet by Adrian Nathan West, published by And Other Stories in 2022, is a literary exploration of family dynamics set in a struggling Middle American town. This edition spans 173 pages and is presented in English. The narrative unfolds through the perspective of a son observing the disintegration of his family, marked by his parents’ divorce and their attempts to find meaning in their lives. As he navigates his own ambitions at community college and menial jobs, he grapples with complex emotions regarding his parents’ choices and the societal constraints that shape their existence.
Readers will find a poignant examination of masculinity and familial relationships as the son confronts his father’s latest crisis—a bodybuilding competition that serves as a desperate bid for purpose. The story delves into themes of sports, family life, and satire, revealing the stark realities of their lives while maintaining a grimly humorous tone. My Father’s Diet offers a unique perspective on the intersection of personal struggle and societal expectations, making it a thought-provoking read for those interested in the nuances of modern manhood and family dynamics.
Official synopsis Publisher
Tired of being ashamed of your body? Ask your doctor if this journey to the dark heart of American masculinity is right for you!
In a broken-down Middle American town, the disintegration of a struggling family–its ambitions and emotions worn thin–is laid bare through the cold eyes of its only son. While studying at the local community college to finish his degree, he works what his divorced parents deem to be menial jobs and tries to stay out of their way, keeping his pitiless observations about their lives to himself. He says nothing about his semi-estranged father’s doomed attempts to find meaning in the world. He says nothing about his mother’s willingness to subjugate herself to men he deems unworthy. He says nothing about the anonymity and emptiness to which their social classes and places of birth seem to have condemned everyone he knows, robbing them of even the vocabulary to express their grievances. He says nothing about his own pity, disgust, compassion, disdain, tenderness, and love for them.
But when another in a long line of his father’s boozy relationships falls apart, something changes. He wants to have a chat with his boy. The son fully expects to be talking his dad out of committing suicide, but no: the old man has other plans for his carcass. He has, in fact, entered a bodybuilding competition, and wants his son’s help to get fit. If the alternative is despair, how can the son refuse?
Instantly relatable, impeccably realized, and grimly hilarious, My Father’s Diet is equal parts Kierkegaard, This Side of Paradise, and Pumping Iron: an autopsy of our antiquated notions of manhood, and the perfect, bite-sized novel for a world always keen to mistake narcissism for introspection.
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