It occurred to me that the relationship between father and daughter is the one I know least about. Not only due to my being a man with two brothers and no sisters. I read a lot in the media about the abusive relationships between fathers and daughters but little else.
This book is great. There is a chapter on abuse, but Sharpe, in a series of interviews with forty-two women explores the myriad of complexities which exist here. She talks to some fathers too.
It is a mellow read. Clearly written, it is part of the Male Orders series edited by Vic Seidler. Sharpe's eight chapters include Little Girls, Ways of Fathering and Sexuality. In her Concluding Thoughts, Sharpe uses psychoanalysis to look at the dynamics that are set up for women in later life by their relationship with their fathers.
This is a useful introduction to the wide-ranging discussions of gender relations. It is not particularly analytical or jargonistic and it offers endless fascinating insights into this most neglected of relationships.
Nigel Larcombe
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