Never Had a Dad

Fatherless, friendly 31yoF looking for intrepid M50s-70s who wants to try being a father figure (not sugar daddy).

Georgie Codd never had a dad. And she didn’t think that would ever change – until a stranger’s practical joke made her wonder if she could find one. So began her quest for a father figure, placing ‘dadverts’ in newspapers, magazines and corners of the internet she thought the fatherly might frequent.

Along with the conversations, meetings and the twists and turns of seeking family relationships with strangers comes a curious look at the societal, cultural and biological functions of fatherhood. What makes someone decide to have or not have a child? What is the experience for single parents, for queer communities, for people rejected by their birth family – or for those who do the rejecting? And why were so many ‘dads’ angling for something other than parenthood?

By turns brilliant and bonkers, hilarious and poignant, this is an unexpected story of the strange, intimate things we mean when we talk about family.

Reviews

'A dating quest with a difference' The Times

'You think every book has been written … you think every idea has come out. And then you pick up a book like this … What a wonderful idea and what a wonderful project' Jo Good, BBC Radio London

‘Georgie’s the type of person who gets very creative when she tries to solve a problem’ This American Life

‘An almost spiritual mission … sharply drawn’ Times Literary Supplement

‘A lesson in not giving up, demonstrating that, as with all good adventure stories, the real benefit is in the searching’ The i

‘A terrific read’ BBC Radio Norfolk

About the author

Georgie Codd was conceived, born and raised in the south-west of England. After a long interlude in three cities, she returned there to live in 2020. That same year, she published the fish-themed memoir We Swim to the Shark, and founded the Time Out award-winning ‘antiviral’ literary festival BookBound 2020 in aid of mental health charities.

Never Had a Dad is her second book.