Stephanie Cesca’s heartwarming debut novel, Dotted Lines (Guernica Editions, 2024), is a binary-breaking book existing in stunning defiance of the “evil stepparent” narrative. It shows readers how sometimes, it’s the person who owes you nothing who gives you everything. Bibliophiles across the country are already sharing how much they enjoyed this novel and Stephanie’s ability to challenge stereotypes with her clear, straightforward, and utterly absorbing storytelling.
We are excited to have Stephanie Cesca join us today to speak to highlight the often under-represented perspective of the single stepdad.
Welcome, Stephanie!
Dotted Lines by Stephanie Cesca
Q: Dotted Lines explores many challenges of parenthood, but it focuses on the more unusual role of being a single stepfather. What did you hope to achieve by highlighting this particular type of parent?
A: In Dotted Lines, the main character Melanie struggles with belonging and how to describe her family to the outside world. Given her situation, it’s easy to see why she’d feel this way. She doesn’t know her biological father, her mother abandoned her as a child, she doesn’t have a good relationship with her half-sister and she’s being raised by her mom’s former boyfriend, a man named Dave.
It’s a lot to deal with and to accept. But while Melanie doesn’t have a biological parent, she does have something else – and that’s someone who surrounds her with constant love and support. Dave is kind, responsible, patient, considerate and helpful. He’s all these things despite the fact he’s got a really tough job. Dave is not only a single dad, but a single stepdad. To girls! Including one that’s quite badly behaved. He has a lot on his plate, yet he soldiers through all of it to give Melanie the most wonderful gift: a life full of love and opportunity. This allows her concept of family to evolve throughout the story. Because of Dave, she learns that family is not just about who gives you life, but about who gives you love.
More about Dotted Lines:
Abandoned as a child, Melanie Forsythe seeks stability and belonging after her mom’s boyfriend is left to raise her. Despite her raw deal, Melanie grows up to have a good head on her shoulders and a strong bond with her stepdad. But her dream of having a family of her own is shattered when she suffers tragedy and betrayal. Finding herself at an unexpected crossroads, Melanie must rely on the lessons given to her by someone who owed her nothing but gave her everything.
Author Stephanie Cesca
More about Stephanie Cesca:
Stephanie Cesca was born and raised in Toronto, where she lives with her husband and three children. A former newspaper editor in both Canada and Europe, she holds an English degree from Western University, a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University and a Certificate of Creative Writing from the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. Her work has been shortlisted for the Penguin Random House Canada Student Award for Fiction and The Marina Nemat Award for Creative Writing. Dotted Lines is her first novel.