The article is devoted to the analysis of the specific expression of the parental image in the novels written by Jean Christoph Grangé. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that this topic is relatively poorly covered in literary studies. Although, in his interviews Grangé has repeatedly stated that virtually every his work has an image of a father. And this image is always associated with the concepts of «threat», «evil», «crime». The writer himself did not expand this thesis. Therefore, the questions remain indeterminate: is the image of the father in the text related to the theme of evil and threat, or is the image of the father has the same expression in different novels of the writer? So the purpose of the paper is to investigate the specific of the father image, the features of its implementation in the novels by J. K. Grange, to determine the main types of parental images and their functional load for the artistic text. Even a cursory review of Grangé's writings suggests that the writer's literary works are indeed dominated by the type of «threatening», even criminal father. And especially often it is realized in the system of father–son relations, where maternal image, as a necessary element of the Oedipus complex, is missing. The formation of such an image is created by the fact that their action in the novels explicitly or indirectly revolves around the parental figure. In addition, he is portrayed as extremely dangerous person. A similar impression is created both by the appearance of the character, the indication of his role in society, and the description of his past. The divine traits in the pagan understanding of this concept are traced in the depiction of this type of parent. It shows itself at the plot level, when the actions and life of heroes are closely intertwined with pagan cultures. However, in the perception of children, such images of the father always retain their ambivalence, and it is illustrated in the reflections of the characters and in their actions. In the Grangé novels we can also observe the type of «absent father», which has its own specificity too. The «absent father» here becomes the invariant of the «threatening father», but without ambivalence. Created by the imagination of the hero, the concept of his father quickly turns into a complete image in his mind, which, in turn, becomes an absolute manifestation of the inevitable evil. Thus, the image of the «threatening father» in the works of Jean Christoph Grangé is not homogeneous. If the father acts as a character in the novel, his image becomes ambivalent. But if it is only a figment of the imagination of the hero, it becomes the embodiment of absolute evil. Such serial use of various versions of the «threatening father» type can be interpreted as an effective means of creating a tense atmosphere of uncertainty and fear in the works.