Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Fathers/ Father Figures

Top 5 Wednesday (T5W) is a weekly meme created by Lainey (gingerreadslainey) and hosted by Sam (ThoughtsOnTomes). Learn more by checking out the Goodreads group here.

In honor of Father's Day, today's topic is Favorite Father/ Father Figures.


1. This is probably no surprise, but my first pick is Luke from the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. I love the relationship between him and Clary, especially in City of Ashes when I feel he is his most fatherly. And I appreciate the good-stepdad representation this book has because so many YA books have uncaring or cruel step-parents.

2. Choice two is Big Mav from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. A large part of THUG's story is Starr's family dynamic. I loved how her family was represented in this, especially her father. He is someone she absolutely loves, even though she doesn't always feel close to him or like she can talk to him about anything. At one point, he realizes this and although the situation becomes a bit of a mess for Starr, I thought it was beautifully resolved and I loved the relationship her and her father ended the novel with.

3. Though I wasn't a huge fan of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is one of my favorite fictional father's. He isn't overly strict and allows his children to be curious and to be thoughtful instead of telling them what is right and what is wrong. Encouraging a child to think for themselves and form their own opinions, rather than telling them what their opinions are, is something I will always appreciate in a parental character.

4. In the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Haymitch isn't technically Katniss' father, but I think everyone can agree he's definitely a father figure in her life. I love the dynamic between him and Katniss. He's helpful when he needs to be and shows that he cares for her, even though it's sometimes done in an unusual way, and she proves that she cares for him as well by showing him tough love, which seems to be what Haymitch needs. It's clear from book one that they are important to each other, and I liked that they showed us this rather than expressing it through words.

5. My final pick is Humbert Humbert from Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. I know this one may be a bit confusing but bear with me while I explain. The topic for today is not good fathers/father figures, which Humbert certainly isn't, but he is one of my favorites to discuss and he is a father figure, so he makes this list. Humbert is one of the most interesting and distinct characters I've ever read. The idea of a fictional father figure is a character who acts fatherly. For the most part, Humbert's thoughts are NOT fatherly, but the dynamic between him and Lo often reflects that of a single father with a preteen daughter. When Lo is particularly bratty, he often responds to her behavior in the same way a father would to his daughter, which makes him seem almost relatable. This is then followed up with some reminder to the reader of what a trash person Humbert is. I've always thought it was interesting that as the reader, we are given these relatable moments, before immediately being reminded that Humbert is a pedophile and someone we should absolutely not find relatable. I don't know if this was by accident, or intentional on the writer's part to make the work more jarring. Either way, Humbert remains a very interesting character and one of my favorite father figures in literature.

✿ If you did a Top 5 Wednesday post, link it below in the comments so I can check it out. Subscribe to BookSass for more bookish goodness, and thanks for reading!