In Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, Humbert Humbert can’t be anything but a terrible stepfather with a name that suggests humbug and fake humility. Although books about pedophiles are now common, Nabokov’s 1955 novel broke new ground by exposing how Humbert justified his vile acts by blaming his twelve-year-old victim for seducing him. For the story of another bad dad, read The Great Stork Derby, based on an actual contest in which a husband pressures his wife to have babies for cash and, fifty years later, learns the true meaning of fatherhood. Read more about the book in NOVELS.
