****Trigger warning: themes of domestic abuse, and rape, albeit tastefully done.

Cudney’s Father Figure was an intense, psychological read weaving past with present in one young woman’s search for a missing piece in the puzzle of her life- the identity of her father.

Brianna Porter is on the cusp of adulthood, ready to go off into the world, heading to college freedom, but for one pressing desire, the one thing her mother won’t give her. She wants to know her father. Despite a loving relationship with a somewhat overly protective mum, Brianna feels there is a void in her life that only knowing her father would fill. With the help of her friend Shanelle, and a PI named Malachi, Brianna hopes to find the answers herself.

Twenty years in the past, Amalia Graeme is preparing to go to college, desperate to escape an abusive mother, and the stifling existence of living in a tiny town. College doesn’t bring the freedom she hopes, though. Instead, it brings only heartache. In that first, and only, year at Woodland College, Amalia experiences more loss and tragedy than it seems a human heart can handle. From the loss of both father and brother, to the worst sort of violation a woman can endure, this year is one that will echo through Amalia’s psyche for the rest of her life.

Damn, son. I thought I’d read some heart-wrenching stories before, but this one beats most out. It’s a story full of grit and realism. My soul ached for Amalia and all she went through, growing up in such an abusive atmosphere. Though she had a loving father, Peter wasn’t strong enough to stand up to his wife. It seems she ground him down to submission before Amalia was even born, closing his eyes to the full truth. We see how Amalia’s experiences shaped how she acted as a mum in turn. Thankfully, she went the opposite direction and was a good, if very overprotective, mum, rather than abusive. Still, this shaped Brianna in adverse ways. She felt in turn stifled, and incomplete by the lack of a father.

While I equally enjoyed both Amalia and Brianna’s stories, I found Brianna to be impulsive, and somewhat immature. She threw the equivalent of adult tantrums at not getting the answers she wanted. Patience with her mum might have gotten her further, though she finally realised why her mother hadn’t said anything. Amalia did her best to shield her daughter from life’s harshness, but went into overkill. Brianna didn’t get the experiences she needed to mature well.

Overall, this is a rich, deeply psychological novel with many layers, and it speaks to how generations shape one another, for better or worse.

Highly recommended. Mind the triggers.

***Many thanks to Reads & Reels Tours and the author for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.