Father's Day edition: Dad-core, but make it literary (4 Books to read)

Looking for the perfect Father's Day gift or reading list this year? Skip the greeting cards and ties — books about fathers and fatherhood make for far more meaningful Father's Day gifts, especially for the dad (or reader) who loves a good literary tearjerker.

From stories of guilt and redemption to portraits of grief and inheritance, this Father's Day reading list celebrates the bond between parent and child in all its complicated, tender glory. Whether you're shopping for Father's Day books or simply want recommendations for books about fathers, these four reads prove fatherhood makes for unforgettable storytelling.

'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini

While The Kite Runner is often remembered for its story of friendship and betrayal, it is equally a novel about fathers and sons. Much of the book's emotional weight comes from Amir's longing for Baba's approval and his struggle to understand the man behind the larger-than-life reputation.

As the story unfolds, fatherhood emerges as both a burden and a form of redemption. Through Baba, Hassan and later Sohrab, Khaled Hosseini explores how love, guilt and sacrifice can echo across generations. The result is a deeply moving portrait of the ways fathers shape their children, and are, in turn, shaped by them.

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“And this is what I want you to understand, that good, real good, was born out of your father's remorse. Sometimes, I thing everything he did, feeding the poor on the streets, building the orphanage, giving money to friends in need, it was all his way of redeeming himself. And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good.”

'Small Worlds' by Caleb Azumah Nelson

Set in Peckham and spanning three pivotal summers, Small Worlds follows Stephen, a young Londoner of Ghanaian heritage as he navigates first love, friendship and the complicated process of growing up. Music runs through the novel like a pulse, connecting generations and offering moments of escape, joy and self-expression.

Beneath its romance and coming-of-age story is an exploration of family, particularly the relationship between Stephen and his father, Eric. As Stephen grows older, he begins to reckon with the expectations, sacrifices that shape their bond, making Caleb Azumah Nelson's novel a moving meditation on fatherhood, belonging and the ties that endure.

“So? It's just me. And you. Like we've always been.' The memories come back in a rush: our tiny histories, our brief intimacies, this small world.”

'H is for Hawk' by Helen MacDonald

After her father's sudden death, Helen Macdonald does something rather odd — she buys a goshawk. Training Mabel, a powerful and notoriously difficult bird of prey, becomes a way of navigating the disorienting early days of grief. But H is for Hawk is far more than a memoir of loss. Blending nature writing, personal history and reflections on the wild, Macdonald traces the strange ways humans look for meaning after bereavement. The result is an intimate, unsentimental portrait of a daughter reckoning with the absence of a father, and the natural world that persists around her.

“Some things happen only once, twice in a lifetime. The world is full of signs and wonders that come, and go, and if you are lucky you might be alive to see them.”

'Hag-Seed' by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood's inventive retelling of The Tempest follows Felix, a disgraced theatre director staging Shakespeare behind the walls of a prison. Beneath its wit and theatrical mischief, however, lies a story of grief. Years after the death of his daughter Miranda, Felix remains unable to fully let her go, carrying her memory into every corner of his life. Atwood reimagines Shakespeare's tale as a moving meditation on loss, love and the ways parents remain tethered to their children, even in absence.

“It’s always risky, the prospect that the prisoners might be having more fun than the guards. Resentment can build up, and that would cause problems for Felix.”