introducing the new book from jayne martin
The Daddy Chronicles
One out of three women in the U.S. identify as fatherless. An absent father who occasionally appears to bestow his affections only to disappear again leads a daughter to seek out others like him—men who are charismatic, but emotionally unavailable—throughout her lifetime.
In this emotionally-charged memoir written in cinematic vignettes, Jayne Martin fearlessly bares the parts of her that were broken when her father left the family upon her birth and, in doing so, leads the reader on their own journey toward wholeness and healing. Whether you are a fatherless daughter or are someone who loves one, The Daddy Chronicles will tear at your heart and open a world of understanding.
“The primal longing for wholeness is at the heart of The Daddy Chronicles, whose mosaic structure reflects Martin’s fragmented family upbringing. Like too many, Martin grew up with an absent father. Brutally direct, hauntingly poetic, this memoir’s emotional center is its compelling honesty and vulnerability.” —Sue William Silverman, How to Survive Death and Other Inconveniences
“Disarming in its honesty, fierce in its longing, The Daddy Chronicles is the story of a girl without a father and the cost of unmet hunger. In a series of written snapshots, Jayne Martin provides a kaleidoscopic view into her childhood and grips the reader with raw and unflinching prose.” —Sonja Livingston, Ghostbread
“Don’t let the length of the short stories in The Daddy Chronicles fool you. Martin poignantly captures the heart of a fatherless daughter through the many stages of loss that happen in a fatherless daughter’s journey. The initial gut punch of grief in her words grab you, but it is her strength that keeps pulling you in. She, like all fatherless daughters before her, is a warrior who rises through the ashes and gives the reader the blueprint to follow suit in their own exploration of understanding and healing. Welcome to the tribe.” —Denna Babul, The Fatherless Daughter Project and Love Strong
“In a series of poignant and poetic vignettes, this memoir delivers the complexity of an entire lifetime on the head of a pin. While unflinching exploration of loss and longing drives the narrative forward, the destination is, ultimately, a place of reclamation–of memory, of agency, and of self. Martin’s spare images crackle and resonate not only with the energy and impact of her experiences, but also with the quiet wisdom she has gleaned from them.” —Jeannine Ouellette, The Part That Burns
“This collection of priceless memories not only made me reflect on my own stories, but heal and grow from the beautiful words on the page. Everyone will relate to different parts of this poetic masterpiece.” —Gabrielle Stone, Eat, Pray, #FML