Dreamer's Daughter
Surviving My Childhood and Raising My Father
by Lori Thicke
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Pub Date Apr 07 2026 | Archive Date Apr 07 2026
Simon & Schuster Canada | Simon & Schuster
Description
In a mining town where hope is as tapped out as the gold, a mother abandons her two children, leaving them in the custody of their free-spirited father. Colorful and larger-than-life, Dacker Thicke is a dreamer whose schemes and small businesses never quite pan out. But he’s always chasing the next big thing.
When they lose everything in a house fire, Dacker considers this the ultimate freedom and leads his children on a cross-country road trip that will force them to rely on his wits and dubious judgment. Amid the chaos, Lori must raise herself and her younger brother—and, on occasion, her father. When she strives for independence, she discovers that it’s hard to leave home when home has wheels and keeps following you around.
A coming-of-age memoir, Dreamer’s Daughter is a life-affirming story about forgiving our parents—and ourselves. It’s a celebration of the love we find in even the most unconventional families, and how sometimes we need to leave home to find our way back.
Advance Praise
“Compassionate, poignant, and surprising, this is a welcome addition to the shelf of memoirs about complicated parent-child bonds.” — Publishers Weekly
“Reminiscent of Jeannette Wall's The Glass Castle, Thicke's memoir of growing up with an absent mother and a father whose promises of better days never materialize is heartbreaking but beautifully told with humour and love.” — PAULINE DAKIN, bestselling author of Run, Hide, Repeat
“An unforgettable memoir about love, loss, resilience. . . and chasing rainbows to the end of the TransCanada Highway. From a peripatetic father who taught her to dream big and bounce back no matter what, Lori inherited a rich vein of stories, and she’s mined it for pure gold—just what her father always hoped to find. I loved it!” — PLUM JOHNSON, bestselling author of The Trouble with Fairy Tales
“It’s funny and sad in equal measure, but above all, it’s loving.” — CEA SUNRISE PERSON, bestselling author of North of Normal
“The best memoir I’ve read this year! This book brims with hope and heart.” — JANET SKESLIEN CHARLES, #1 bestselling author of The Paris Library
“Captivating and beautifully written, Dreamer’s Daughter invokes the bittersweet drama of being raised by a loving father who was always willing to stake his family’s future on the next big idea. Lori Thicke grew up fast and took notes. If you loved The Glass Castle, you need to read this book.” — JESSICA WAITE, bestselling author of The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards
“Memoirs are at their best when real life defies belief. Lori Thicke’s story of raising her dangerously optimistic father begins with the family house burning down - which would be too perfect a metaphor for a novel. Heart-breaking, hilarious, and beautifully written.” — MARK LEIREN-YOUNG, winner of the Leacock Medal for Never Shoot a Stampede Queen
“An exquisitely written, thoroughly engrossing coming-of-age memoir. Dacker Thicke, sweet-natured schemer, takes his place in literature’s pantheon of impossible parents. By turns heart-wrenching and hilarious, Dreamer’s Daughter is a powerful exploration of class, gender roles and the ageless obsession with striking it rich.” — JAKE LAMAR, award-winning author of Bourgeois Blues and Viper’s Dream
“With clarity and grace, Lori Thicke traces the aftershocks of a father’s love - intense, unstable, and never safe - as she gathers the scattered pieces of a life built, burned, and rebuilt again. A voice you won’t forget and a story you’ll carry with you.” — LESLIE BRADFORD-SCOTT, author of The Liar’s Playbook
“One of the most beautiful portraits of love I’ve ever read, about a man who gave his daughter everything he had: his flaws, his mistakes, and his dreams. Lori Thicke writes with truth and grace and immense empathy. Her story went straight to my heart and made me call my own father.” — YARA ZGHEIB, author of No Land to Light On
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781668204498 |
| PRICE | CA$25.99 (CAD) |
| PAGES | 336 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 3 members
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1935483
Fantastic memoir!
I’ve read MANY memoirs and this one will stick with me because this is such a short but interesting story of growing up all over Ontario and BC in the 1970s and 80s
The author does a great job of setting the scene and describing some chaotic experiences in her life. From a house for horses, joining the “Jesus freaks”, many entrepreneurial pursuits, and a clear lack of parental supervision, there’s always something going on.
Her dad is definitely a character! I really respected her portrayal of him since I expected it to be more negative considering the chaos her childhood was. Her love for her dad tho really came through though in the book.
The book seems like a way for her to look back at her life with new perspective. As she says “At the time, none of this felt remarkable trying to seduce my teacher, crashing his car and giving him mine in return. Lacking a frame of reference for how people usually behaved, I found all of it perfectly normal.”
I was never bored reading this book since something new was always happening.
If you like Canadian memoirs, resilient woman, and reading about unique upbringings I recommend this book!
Notes:
I love you more than a herd of Shetland Ponies 🫡😭
Alan Thicke is her Cousin
Brampton, Milton, Kirkland Lake, London,
The year of Dacker
Thank you Simon and Schuster for the book in exchange for an honest review.