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My Father, the Pornographer

Atria. Feb. 2016. 272p. ISBN 9781501112461. $26; ebk. ISBN 9781501112485. MEMOIR
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OrangeReviewStarThis is a remarkable book. Upon the death of his father, Andrew, writer Offutt decided to make a literary project out of going through his papers and possessions. Though Offutt knew that his father, with whom he had a contentious relationship, had written pornographic novels, it wasn't until he started investigating that he realized the extent of his father's obsession with pornography, some of it rather disturbing in nature. In places Offutt makes it clear he wants to quit his project, that spending so much time with his dad and his porn was not good for his health, but there appears to be something cathartic for him in seeing it through. More than anything, this is a book about fathers and sons and the chasms that exist between them.
VERDICT Highly readable and moving, this title will enthrall readers from page one.
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