Everybody inherits something from their father—whether it's eye color, sense of humor or a special talent—but it's rare to do the exact same job as your father. In celebration of Father's Day, let's take a look at some authors who not only inherited talent from their dads, but are using that talent to establish literary careers.
While going through a reading streak fueled by Treasure Island, I discovered a really good book that just happened to be written by the son of Stuart Dybek, one of my favorite writers. Nick Dybek's When Captain Flint Was Still A Good Man was atmospheric and engrossing. It's about community and loyalty told through a story of fishermen in the Pacific Northwest and father-son relationships.
Ever heard of Stephen King? If you're a fan, you have to know his son Joe Hill. He's a Bram Stoker Award winner who crafts gripping horror stories with really well-developed characters. Heart-shaped Box was the first of his books to get me hooked. What happens when Judas Coyne, an aging rock star and collector of morbid items, buys a haunted suit off the Internet will give you the creeps for days.
Peter Straub is another master of horror and suspense. His daughter Emma Straub is a writer of engaging and bittersweet mainstream fiction. Her most recent novel, The Vacationers, is a great summer read. I also enjoyed her first novel about a farm girl from Door County, Wisconsin, who becomes a movie star during the golden age of Hollywood, Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures.
With his explorations of complex issues of good and evil, John LeCarre is the undisputed king of the Cold War spy novel. His son Nick Harkaway writes genre-bending and original books. His stories are darkly funny and irreverent with healthy doses of adventure and friendship. Set in London, Angelmaker is entertaining, exciting and probably unlike anything you've ever read before. It's about the son of a famed gangster who becomes a clock repairman, but lots of trouble starts in his quiet life when he is enlisted to repair a doomsday machine.
What's your favorite father-child pairing?
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