It's not my favorite Atwood book, but it is in no way a bad book.

The writing is fantastic and I love the constantly changing tone of the narration. Atwood exposes the human character in such a raw and chaotic way that it is almost impossible not to be swept away by her work. An interesting piece of fiction that explores sexual and political power in a way that truly makes the reader think.

Father Figure by Kichiku Neko & TogaQ
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars for being such a Unique Taboo Read that Scrambles My Senses

Blood relation, just how important is that? How strong could that bond be? Is it possible to love a total stranger? Especially if that stranger shared an unbreakable bond with you?

Gabriel developed an unhealthy obsession with a man, a stranger he had hoped to get to know better and ultimately be loved by. Uriel was the father he had longed for ever since he was a child. He was bitter when he found out Uriel has a happy little family of his own now and a favored son two years his junior upon leaving his mom behind. He hated the other woman who took away what should have been his and his alone. No one should compete with him for Uriel's attention and affection. Uriel owed him that. And he will make sure his father understands it even if he has to hurt him in order for him to learn. Afterall as the saying goes "spare the rod, spoil the child", an ironic phrase for them but it is one Gabriel deemed as the right recourse to steer his Father's affection towards him.

What transpired between this pair of long-lost father and son upon their ill-fated meeting was supremely taboo and disturbing enough to make you feel so wrong and conflicted for even reading it, yet you will find it hard to stop. You just had to know why, why Gabriel did what he did, and to find out what would Uriel do to salvage both of them from any further destruction? Do we really owe that much to our own child? How much are we willing to sacrifice for own flesh and blood?

Love can be the most beautiful thing in this world. Love can also be the ugliest thing when directed by a distorted perception. Love can be hellish. To a man like Gabriel, to love is to possess wholly, to claim full ownership, to be kept close by his side irregardless of consequences. I am still unsure if all those vile acts Gabriel subjected on Uriel is even remotely redeemable.

Since the story is narrated all by the perpetrator himself, we would get to feel his every volatile emotion and his twisted reasoning. At times, the intensity of his insanity makes me shudder with disbelief and horror. Books of such nature fascinates me till no ends. Being in the mind of a delusional, unstable person gives our mind such a great workout. Needless to say, there's never a dull moment in this book. My adrenaline was kept high throughout the reading.

I must say, the angst in this story is just superb. It has precisely the right amount to keep me satisfied and on a constant emotional high.

Okay, to be on the blunt side, this is a taboo book and it is ILLUSTRATED. I repeat, IT IS ILLUSTRATED. The taboo acts are ILLUSTRATED. There, I got it off my chest and feeling much better already. I can assure you that TogaQ's artwork is to die for and the illustrations are aptly applied. It heighten the experience and shake up our emotion. If you wanna know, there are a total of 19 illustrations in this book. I wish I could show some of it here but I had to refrain from spoiling the story and lessening the shock effect. Plus I would hate to be flagged by those well-meaning-GR-police. I must clarify that not all of the illustrations are smutty, there are a couple of those safe-for-work types too.

If you are those who aren't easily disturbed by taboo reads that contains high level of incest with a dose of dark psychological and criminal theme, then this book should be a winner for you. Angst addict would definitely adore it too. As for those looking for sweet romance.. please look elsewhere. The only romance to be found here is an utterly twisted one.

On account of how much this story had lodged itself deep within me, a 5 stars rating is a given thing. In fact, most books that graces my 5 stars shelf are those that had left its indelible mark on me.


Side note to all: For sake of world peace and personal safety; NEVER EVER have unprotected sex, NEVER EVER forsake your own children. OR you might just find yourself reliving Uriel's nightmare.

 

[ I ran my fingers through his hair; it was soft. There was a kind of excitement that went through me then that felt sexual. This man was my father. He used to belong to someone else and now he belonged to me. ]

BOOK DETAILS:

Title: Father Figure
Author: Kichiku Neko (Author), TogaQ (Illustrator)
Publication Date: November 2011
Publisher: Guilt|Pleasure (Doujinshi Circle)
Type: Illustrated Novel - approximately 31,000 words, 19 illustrations
Genre:M/M, Gay, Taboo, Incest, Dominance-Submission, Noncon, Psychological Thriller, Drama
Tags/Keywords: gay, incest, taboo, dominance-submission, non-consensual, thriller, psychological, maledom, domineering male, rape, corporal punishment, caning, bodily harm, injury, murder, restraints, collar, leash, chain, hand-job, blow-job, oral sex, anal sex, rough sex, kidnap, captive, captivity, confinement, unstable mind, psychological disorder, mental disorder, obsession, stalker, stalking, voyeurism

Description:
A deep obsession with his estranged father leads Gabriel down a dangerous, twisted path.

This is an Illustrated Novel NOT a manga or graphic novel. It contains 19 illustration by TogaQ and the story was written by Kichiku Neko.



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David Sloane, the lawyer-who-never-loses, has just brought to completion a medical malpractice suit against a local Seattle pediatrician for the wrongful death of a six-year-old boy. Just as he's rushing into the courthouse to hear the verdict, however, he's stopped in the street by an unkempt, grungy twenty-something kid who thrusts a folder at him and tells him, "The doctor did not kill that boy...I did." With no reason to take the young man seriously, and no time to do so even if he did, Sloane rushes into court to receive yet another winning verdict. Mere pages later we're thrust into the cutthroat world of the toy industry. Kendall Toys of Seattle has a new CEO, who has been recently annointed by the dying Sebastian Kendall, last of the toy dynasty's blood line. Malcolm Fitzgerald is up against a board in turmoil, cash flow problems, and a buy out offer from a rival toy firm. Luckily, he has an ace: Metamorphis, an amazing toy that trumps Transformers by allowing the child to design and execute the toy's transformations. Fitzgerald thinks Kendall has found, in Metamorphis, its holy grail, its Tickle Me Elmo, its Cabbage Patch Kid, the toy which--if they can get it into production quickly enough and price it just right--will be the one that has the kids clamoring and the parents scrambling to buy this holiday season. But there have been problems with the prototype, and in order to make the toy cheaply enough to price it affordably production has been farmed overseas, to the unregulated factories of China. Robert Dugoni has been honing his skills with his previous three novels, and with Bodily Harm has become a true master of the legal thriller. His pacing is perfect, fast enough to keep the reader on the edge of the seat, but still thoughtful and intelligent. The courtroom scenes are believable--and there aren't overly many of them. His characters are well-developed, and even the secondary characters are believable and sympathetic, and we read breathlessly as the several different plotlines--including Sloane's moving personal story--come together for a satisfying resolution.

This truly is an "anti-thriller" - a lot happens and yet nothing happens. It's also an interesting window into feminism of the 1980's. I was totally sucked in, despite truly despising the main character. What an empty, hollow shell of a woman. Still, I was hooked until the very end.