After her father abandoned Mickey and her mother for his new family, Mickey resolved never to think of him again. Years later, she’s fine without him. Yes, she drinks, but only sometimes—and, really, she can’t not. But with only $181 to her name, she’s not above attending some mandated therapy to access the not-insignificant inheritance he’s left her in the wake of his death. She’ll happily kneel at the Kleenex altar if it means she’ll soon be bingeing Bridgerton with a bottle of Russian Standard, five million dollars richer.

One town over, Arlo has more issues than most of her clients. Being a therapist has not prepared her for grief. She adored her father—his laughter, his charm, the smell of his cologne. She thought he adored her, too, but now he’s given his inheritance to a daughter no one knows, and Arlo is at a loss.

But unbeknownst to either woman, their problematic father had one dying wish, throwing them together on a crash course that will either break—or save—them both.

Review:

Intense, sobering, and thought-provoking!

Favourite Daughter is a perceptive, compelling tale that takes you into the lives of Mickey and Arlo, two young women who are both struggling to come to grips with the loss of their father, pasts filled with secrets and abuse, familial relationships that are strained and fractured, and a half-sister they’ve never met.

The prose is sombre and raw. The characters are complex, damaged, and burdened. And the plot uses a sensitive, reflective style to unravel all the personalities, motivations, and relationships within it.

Favourite Daughter is ultimately a novel about life, loss, family, secrets, grief, abuse, alcoholism, addiction, forgiveness, and the long-lasting effects of a dysfunctional childhood. It’s a well-written, emotional debut by Dick that does a great job of reminding us that everyone who enters our lives, no matter the length of time, impacts, shapes, and defines it.

This novel is available now.

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