as someone with a narcissistic grandfather this really hit home, the stories felt familiar and new at the same time, it reminded me of my own experiences and those of my mothers childhood

thank you to netgalley for an arc of this in exchange for my honest feedback!

Gardner Landry wrote these essays and was hooked from the first concept. It was everything that was promised and enjoyed the overall feel of this essay collection.

This was a very interesting read by Gardner Landry that was thought provoking and raw. I enjoyed the layout.

I’ve recently developed a newfound love for short stories and essays, and Songs of My Father and Other Essays by Gardner Landry was such an unexpected delight. The cover was what first drew me in, but thankfully the content was as captivating as the outside. This collection is equal parts witty, heartfelt, and deeply engaging… one moment, I was laughing out loud, and the next, I found myself surprisingly moved.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC, I truly had a blast with this one!

Songs of My Father and Other Essays by Gardner Landry is a nostalgic, witty, and unexpectedly poignant collection that masterfully balances humor, personal reflection, and biting social commentary. With its eclectic blend of tales featuring eccentric Southern charm and sharp insights into human nature, this book reads like a heartfelt conversation with someone who could make even a trip to the grocery store sound like an adventure.

The "Fred" essays are the centerpiece of the collection, painting a vivid portrait of Landry's father as an outsized personality—part ham, part hero, and entirely unforgettable. Fred is a character whose antics could rival any sitcom dad’s, but Landry doesn’t fall into caricature. Instead, he deftly captures the contradictions that make Fred so fascinating: his charisma and his need for constant affirmation, his charm and his maddening eccentricities. Through a blend of humor and exasperation, Landry conjures up a man who is both larger-than-life and deeply, sometimes tragically human. Comparisons to figures like Ron Burgundy and Gollum are hilariously apt, but Landry layers these essays with a tenderness that sneaks up on you.

The humor is razor-sharp, especially when Landry riffs on Fred’s bizarre fixations—mayonnaise, Tab, and French banana ice cream, to name a few. These essays are laugh-out-loud funny, but there’s a clear understanding beneath the jokes: Fred’s over-the-top preferences and persona aren’t just quirks—they’re part of an intricate performance meant to distract from deeper insecurities. The absurdity of Fred’s life becomes, in Landry’s hands, both entertaining and revealing.

The second section of the book shifts focus to essays about Landry’s own life and observations, expanding the scope beyond his family while maintaining the same wit and perceptiveness. Whether recounting awkward childhood moments, Southern cultural oddities, or musings on modern life, Landry’s voice remains consistent—engaging, self-deprecating, and incisive. His writing conjures a bygone era without falling into nostalgia for its own sake. Instead, Landry invites readers to reflect on how the past shapes the present, often in unexpected and bittersweet ways.

One of the standout features of the collection is its structure. The "triple-decker club sandwich" format—with forewords and an afterword written in the present—adds layers of introspection and humor. These contemporary reflections allow Landry to examine how his relationship with his father, and his perspective on life, has evolved over time. The forewords and afterword provide context and commentary that enrich the essays without feeling intrusive or overly explanatory.

If there’s a critique to be made, it’s that the collection’s brevity leaves you wanting more. Some anecdotes feel like they end just as they’re getting started, and a few essays in the second section could have benefitted from additional depth. However, this brevity also gives the collection its punch—each piece is tightly written and free of unnecessary filler.

At 4 stars, Songs of My Father and Other Essays is a delightful and thought-provoking read that captures the messy, hilarious, and sometimes heartbreaking complexities of family and identity. Gardner Landry’s voice is warm and inviting, even when dissecting life’s absurdities, and his essays are packed with both laugh-out-loud humor and surprising emotional resonance. Whether you’re in it for the laughs, the family drama, or the philosophical musings on mayonnaise, this book will entertain and stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

This is the first essay collection that I have ever read, so I went into it not knowing at all what to expect. What I found was a witty, clever and all together fascinating glimpse into the world of Fred, Gardner Landry's father.

Through essays centred around Fred's obsession with being contactable, love of Tab, fascination with mayonnaise and consistent burning desire to be the centre of attention, you start to get an understanding of the family dynamic, and how challenging it must have been to be raised by a narcissist. The essay with the death of Landry's mother was particularly strong.

The final four essays, not reflections on the life of Fred, but rather other snapshots of Landry;s life were strong, and clearly written, with some fantastic wordplay. The final essay, a warning on the dangers of Ambien in an Emirates first class cabin was a joy. I am inspired to search out more essay collections.

"It's just as good to laugh as it is to cry."

That's something my grandmother used to tell me, and I felt very much like this collection from Gardner Landry was the embodiment of that statement. Gardner has found a way to weave humor (maybe black) and wit into the tapestry of being raised by a narcissistic parent. Sometimes odd, always blindingly honest, I found myself unable to put it down.

I'm incredibly glad stories like this exist, and that there are authors like Gardner who are brave enough to tell them.