Kate Folk’s sophomore novel Sky Daddy arrives like a controlled crash—shocking, impossible to look away from, and ultimately more profound than its premise suggests. Following her acclaimed short story collection Out There, Folk once again demonstrates her ability to find the deeply human within the utterly bizarre, crafting a narrative that is simultaneously absurd and achingly sincere.
The Unforgettable Linda: A Portrait of Isolation in Modern America
At the novel’s heart is Linda, a 32-year-old content moderator living in a windowless garage in San Francisco, whose greatest passion is her monthly flights to nowhere—romantic dates with commercial aircraft. Folk’s protagonist represents a masterclass in character development, transforming what could have been a one-note gimmick into a complex meditation on modern loneliness, sexual identity, and the human need for connection.
Linda’s obsession with planes, particularly the Boeing 737 designated N92823, stems from a formative experience during adolescence when severe turbulence triggered her first orgasm and what she interpreted as a spiritual connection with the aircraft. Folk handles this unconventional sexuality—known as objectophilia—with remarkable sensitivity, never mocking Linda’s desires while simultaneously examining the isolation they create.
The author’s background in the Stanford Stegner Fellowship shines through in her nuanced portrayal of Linda’s internal world. Folk captures the peculiar logic of obsession, the way Linda rationalizes her feelings and creates elaborate mythologies around her “relationships” with planes. The vision boards that frame the narrative serve as both plot device and metaphor for the human tendency to seek control over an indifferent universe.
Karina and the Architecture of Friendship
Perhaps the novel’s greatest achievement is the relationship between Linda and her coworker Karina Carvalho. Where lesser writers might have made Karina a simple foil or comedic relief, Folk develops her into a fully realized character whose own struggles with anxiety and belonging mirror Linda’s in unexpected ways. Karina’s aerophobia creates a fascinating dynamic—she fears the very objects of Linda’s desire, yet their friendship provides the emotional core that grounds the story.
Folk excels at depicting the delicate negotiations of adult friendship, particularly between women. The Vision Board Brunches, with their mixture of genuine spiritual seeking and performative wellness culture, feel authentically observed. The author captures how modern relationships often exist in spaces between honesty and performance, with Linda constantly calculating how much truth she can reveal without losing connection.
Literary Craftsmanship: Where Melville Meets Modern Malaise
Folk’s decision to frame Sky Daddy as a conversation with Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick proves inspired rather than pretentious. The novel opens with “Call me Linda,” immediately establishing the parallel between Ishmael’s obsession with whales and Linda’s fixation on “the whales of the sky.” This literary framework elevates the narrative beyond mere shock value, positioning Linda’s quest within a tradition of American literature that explores the thin line between passion and madness.
The author’s prose style adapts brilliantly to Linda’s perspective. Folk writes with a careful restraint that mirrors Linda’s own self-control, using precise, almost clinical language to describe the most extraordinary situations. When Linda experiences physical arousal during flights, Folk’s descriptions are frank without being gratuitous, finding poetry in the mechanical language of aviation.
Tech Culture and Content Moderation: A Timely Critique
Folk’s decision to make Linda a content moderator for a video-sharing platform adds crucial contemporary relevance. The soul-crushing nature of this work—filtering the internet’s worst content for twenty dollars an hour—provides context for Linda’s escapist fantasies. Folk understands how digital labor can hollow out the human spirit, making Linda’s flights seem less like bizarre indulgence and more like necessary self-preservation.
The workplace dynamics at Acuity feel painfully authentic, from the tyrannical supervisor Dave to the wellness rooms that offer meditation apps instead of genuine support. Folk captures how modern capitalism commodifies even mental health, packaging self-care as productivity enhancement.
The Vision Board as Literary Device
The recurring motif of vision boards works on multiple levels. On the surface, they represent the New Age spirituality that permeates certain San Francisco subcultures. More deeply, they function as a metaphor for the human desire to impose narrative order on chaos. Linda’s increasingly disturbing boards—culminating in images of plane crashes labeled “Just Married”—force readers to confront the relationship between fantasy and delusion.
Folk uses the vision boards to explore themes of manifestation and agency. Can we truly control our destinies, or are we trapped by our obsessions? The novel’s final act suggests that perhaps the question itself is wrong—that meaning comes not from getting what we want, but from the courage to want authentically.
Where the Novel Falters
Despite its many strengths, Sky Daddy occasionally struggles with pacing. The middle section, focusing on Linda’s relationship with Dave, feels somewhat disconnected from the main narrative thrust. While Folk clearly intends this subplot to explore themes of conventional versus unconventional desire, Dave’s character never quite achieves the complexity of Linda or Karina.
Additionally, some readers may find Linda’s final actions troubling. Folk walks a fine line between portraying mental illness sympathetically and potentially romanticizing suicidal ideation. The author’s commitment to Linda’s perspective sometimes makes it difficult to maintain critical distance from her protagonist’s increasingly dangerous delusions.
A Fearless Exploration of Human Connection
What ultimately distinguishes Sky Daddy is Folk’s refusal to judge her protagonist. In lesser hands, Linda might have been a figure of ridicule or pity. Instead, Folk treats her with the same dignity she would any character struggling with more conventional forms of desire and loss. The novel asks uncomfortable questions about the nature of love itself—what makes one form of attraction acceptable and another pathological?
Folk’s exploration of objectophilia forces readers to examine their own assumptions about sexuality and connection. If someone can feel genuine love for another person, why not for an airplane? The novel doesn’t answer this question so much as complicate it, revealing the arbitrary nature of many social boundaries.
Technical Excellence and Emotional Resonance
From a craft perspective, Sky Daddy demonstrates Folk’s growth as a novelist. The pacing builds steadily toward its climactic flight, with each chapter adding new layers to Linda’s psychology while advancing the plot. Folk’s research into aviation culture feels thorough without becoming pedantic, and her depiction of plane-spotting communities adds authenticity to Linda’s world.
The dialogue crackles with specificity, particularly in the office scenes where Folk captures the peculiar rhythms of workplace conversation. Characters speak in ways that feel both naturalistic and heightened, revealing personality through vocal patterns and word choices.
Themes That Resonate Beyond the Unusual Premise
Beneath its provocative surface, Sky Daddy grapples with universal themes. Linda’s isolation reflects broader concerns about alienation in modern society. Her search for transcendence through union with aircraft speaks to spiritual hunger in a secular age. The vision boards represent humanity’s eternal quest to find meaning and direction in an indifferent universe.
Folk also explores how trauma shapes desire. Linda’s formative experience with turbulence creates a template that defines her entire emotional life. The novel suggests that all human sexuality is, in some sense, a response to early experiences and cultural conditioning.
Similar Reads and Literary Context
Readers who appreciate Sky Daddy might also enjoy Susan Choi’s My Education for its unflinching portrayal of unconventional desire, or Miranda July’s All Fours for its exploration of unusual relationships. Folk’s work also resonates with the psychological realism of Claire Vaye Watkins and the dark humor of Helen Oyeyemi.
For those interested in fiction that treats unusual sexual practices with dignity, consider Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love or Jess Walter’s So Far Gone. Folk joins a tradition of writers who find the universal within the particular, using extreme scenarios to illuminate common human experiences.
Final Verdict: A Memorable Flight
Sky Daddy succeeds because Kate Folk never loses sight of the human heart beating beneath her novel’s bizarre premise. This is a book about loneliness, about the stories we tell ourselves to make life bearable, and about the courage required to live authentically in a world that demands conformity.
While the novel may not appeal to all readers—its subject matter is genuinely challenging—those willing to take the journey will find themselves moved by Folk’s compassion for her characters and impressed by her technical skill. Sky Daddy announces Folk as a major talent willing to take risks other writers wouldn’t dare attempt.
In an literary landscape often dominated by safe choices and familiar narratives, Folk’s willingness to explore the genuinely weird and uncomfortable feels both brave and necessary. Sky Daddy reminds us that the best fiction doesn’t just reflect our world—it expands our understanding of what it means to be human.
- Recommended for readers who: Appreciate literary fiction that challenges conventional boundaries, enjoy character studies of unusual protagonists, and aren’t afraid of uncomfortable subject matter handled with intelligence and empathy.