The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Cline, Emma. Daddy. New York: Random House, 2020.

Daddy is a collection of short stories by Emma Cline.

“What Can You Do with a General” follows a man in his sixties named John he lives in Southern California with his wife Linda. They have three adult children: Sam, Sasha, and Chloe. The children arrive at their parents’ house for Thanksgiving. John is somewhat perturbed by his children’s lack of clear professional ambition, especially in the case of Chloe, whom John and Linda still help to financially support. During the visit, Linda acts especially emotionally distant towards her family, and John struggles to connect with her emotionally. John thinks wistfully about when his children were young and much more expressive in their affection.

“Los Angeles” follows Kayla, a recent college graduate who works as a salesclerk in a high-end clothing store in Los Angeles. She has vague ambitions of being an actor, but she is not particularly passionate about acting. Also, due to her relatively low pay at the job, she struggles to cover the cost of living and her student loans. One of her coworkers is an outgoing 17-year-old girl named Oona. One day, Oona covertly sells her own underpants to a man in the store. Kayla soon begins to supplement her income by selling her own underwear to men she meets online. The story ends with Kayla growing frantic as she accidentally becomes stuck in a buyer’s car.

“Menlo Park” follows a man named Ben. He used to work for a high-profile entertainment magazine, but he was fired in disgrace. The story does not explicitly state the reasons for his firing, but it was likely related to drug abuse and other possible forms of misconduct. Ben now works as a freelance book editor. He was recently hired to edit the memoir of a famous musician. Ben goes to California to meet with the musician and review some of the edits. Ben feels an odd rapport—or lack thereof—with the musician, as well as with the musician’s assistant, Karen.

“Son of Friedman” follows a man named George. He is in his sixties, and he is a film director. He used to be quite successful, but his career has sharply declined in recent years. His son, Benji, is a college student, and he recently made a film of his own. George attends the informal premiere of the film. George is accompanied by William, a friend of his who is a very famous actor. As Benji introduces the film, he thanks William for being there, and he then thanks George as an afterthought. As George watches the film, it soon becomes clear that it is quite amateurish.

“The Nanny” follows a 24-year-old woman named Kayla. She has felt weary and directionless since college, and she worries that she has lost her ability to have passionate interests. She is hired as the nanny for a famous actor’s young son. Kayla and the actor, Rafe, eventually begin to have an affair. Eventually, Rafe loses interest in Kayla. Also, Rafe’s wife finds out about the affair. Kayla is soon fired.

“Arcadia” takes place on a fairly large fruit farm. The farm is owned by a man named Otto, who lives with his younger sister Heddy. Heddy is 18 years old and pregnant. The father of the unborn child is a man named Peter. Peter moves in with Heddy and Otto. However, Peter soon becomes unnerved by Otto’s short temper and impulsive behavior. When peter suggests to Heddy that they should move out and live away from Otto, Heddy does not even consider the idea.

“Northeast Regional” follows a wealthy business executive named Richard. He is divorced and has a teenage son named Rowan. Richard habitually has affairs with married women. One day, Richard receives a call from the boarding school where Rowan is a student. Richard takes a long train ride to the school and meets with the headmaster. Richard learns that Rowan physically assaulted a student, and that Rowan is expelled effective immediately. Rowan shows no remorse. Meanwhile, Richard shows no concern for the other student, only frustration at the inconvenient of having had to travel to the school.

“Marion” is narrator by an 11-year-old girl, whose name is never stated on the story. She lives on a commune, where the adults illegally grow and sell cannabis. The narrator’s best friend is a 13-year-old girl named Marion. Marion has begun to go through puberty, and she enjoys it when some of the men leer at her. One day, Marion persuades the narrator that they should take lewd photographs of each other. Some of the adults on the commune find the photographs and scold the narrator.

“Mack the Knife” follows a man named Jonathan. He is about 50 years old. He is divorced and has a child. He works as a television writer, but his career has declined in recent years, and his finances have become somewhat precarious. He is dating a woman named Julia, who works as an actress and is in her early thirties. Both Jonathan and Ben have begun to suffer from clinical depression. Julia has begun to abuse drugs in order to cope with her depression, and Jonathan feels unable to stop her.

“A/S/L” follows a woman named Thora. She is in her mid-thirties and is currently a patient in an upscale drug rehabilitation clinic. She is unhappy with her marriage, and she apparently abused drugs as a coping mechanism. She also spent much of her free time on anonymous internet chat rooms, pretending to be a teenage girl. Thora’s closest friend in the clinic is Ally, who is 20 years old and is the daughter of a senator. Thora and Ally both find life in the clinic to be generally boring. One day, a new patient—referred to only as ‘G.’—is admitted to the clinic. He is a famous television actor, and recently, many women accused him of sexual assault. Despite that fact, Thora finds herself attracted to G. When G. rebuffs her, she reports him for misconduct, causing him to be transferred to another facility.