There are few relationships quite as fraught as the one between teenage daughters and their fathers. Even if Dad can’t relate, or is embarrassing, overprotective, or overly doting, a good father-daughter relationship will generally weather the teenage storms and emerge on the other side a strong and lasting bond. But when Dad is abusive, addicted, alcoholic, or absent, an already awkward period of life can be utterly devastating. That’s what the writers deal with in this collection of personal essays.

The group of accomplished contributors – which includes Lisa Moore, Susan Olding, Saleema Nawaz, Cathy Stonehouse, Shannon McFerran, Jessica Raya, and the collection’s editor, Melanie Little – should be commended for sharing such personal stories in tender and revealing ways. And just as these stories must have been difficult to write, they are, at times, difficult to read: the subject matter – particularly in Stonehouse’s tale of abuse and Moore’s recollection of her father’s sudden death – can be upsetting.

Little (the Canadian fiction editor at House of Anansi Press) has done a beautiful job assembling a collection that is uniformly heart-wrenching and well-written. That said, there are a few pieces that particularly sing, such as Raya’s “How to Make Ice and Other Things My Stepfather Taught Me,” about finding a father-figure she can rely on, and Olding’s “Thirteen Answers for Alateen,” about dealing with her father’s alcoholism and her own resulting recklessness.

For young readers wrestling with their own paternal issues, this book is a welcome read. But whether or not one can relate to these tales, this elegant collection strikes a perfect balance between raw and refined.