3.5 stars, rounded upwards. Garth Risk Hallberg is the author of the epic, memorable novel City on Fire, which was among my short list of favorites the year it was published. My thanks go to NetGalley and Alfred A. Knopf for the invitation to read and review his new novel, The Second Coming. This book is for sale now.

The story begins in New York City when Jolie, who is thirteen years old, is nearly struck by a train. Her parents are divorced, and she hasn’t seen her father in quite a while. Ethan is addicted, and his cravings make him unreliable. He makes promises he won’t keep, and Jolie has more or less given up on him, but her brush with death convinces him that she is in a darker place than her mother realizes, and that only he can save her.

Heaven help the girl!

The episode is the beginning of a twisted, bizarre odyssey. Jolie’s mother is distracted, not paying a lot of attention to her daughter, and Jolie becomes involved with a complete stranger, young man much older than herself. As a reader, I became frustrated and wanted to shake Jolie’s mama and tell her to wake up and take care of her kid. Just because they look grown at 13, doesn’t mean they are grown.

On glorious display here is Hallberg’s remarkable word smithery. The man has a gift, and he’s not afraid to use it. Portions of this book were a joy to read, simply because his prose is matchless.

For me, however, the plot and characterization of Ethan got in my way. Addicts and alcoholics in literature are becoming a trope, and I had vowed to myself to steer clear of them. I read the synopsis of this one and knew what I was walking into when I accepted the galley; I had hoped the author’s talent and skill would take a tired old plot point and make it seem new. He partially succeeded; I didn’t throw my reader across the room as soon as the addiction material appeared. But I didn’t love it the way that I loved City on Fire. Also, large portions of this are in epistolary form, from letters that Ethan writes to his daughter, and although they have been edited down considerably between the galley I read and the polished, finished result, they still got in my way.

So, this is a competent effort, but not a magical one. If you enjoy fiction with addicted characters, or if you like books about fathers and daughters, this book may be a happier experience for you than for me. However, I was expecting great things, and I came away feeling somewhat disappointed.

The Second Coming by Garth Risk Hallberg is not for everyone; it’s not for me, though I appreciate that it exists. I’m impressed by Hallberg’s commitment to this style of writing, which really helps create a connection to the characters and the material. 

This book is incredibly long and filled with winding sentences and lengthy descriptions. It also plays with multiple viewpoints, and it is at times difficult to understand who is speaking or whose monologue we’re following. 

The subject matter is also gut-wrenching. It feels rather true to life, which makes it even more heartbreaking to read. We are taken into the inner world of characters who are dealing with addiction, depression, and more. It’s a tale of love, grief, and regret.

For me, The Second Coming was a slog to get through. I stepped away from this multiple times, but am glad that I made it through to the end. While I struggled to finish the book, it is well-written and does an excellent job of submerging us into the inner worlds of these characters. If you’re a fan of verbose and descriptive novels with tragic characters, this could be worth checking out.

The Second Coming was an excellent read. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.

Ive been waiting for another Hallberg book since City on Fire. A generation clash, family trauma, family addiction, and of course, redemption.

I loved Jolie. Ethan, like any person you love that is battling addiction, I wanted to equally root for and give up on. And yet, the father daughter relationship, the strain, the trauma they inflict upon one another, is expertly told.

There are parts I didn't think fully connected, the Prince riffs, the island rehab and it's benefactor that never really played more of a role. I wanted more of Ethan's island romance. Yet, thus came down to the honest portrayal of a father and daughter struggling to overcome all the ways they sabotage themselves.

Hallberg's writing is on the Donna Tartt level, I just wished for a smidge more plot to drive the story. Still, I would highly recommend this book.

This felt like a book that took way too long to get through. It was just not the book for me. It has an audience out there but it was not me.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this advanced reader's edition. Unfortunately, I will not be able to give it the time required to write a thorough review and will be unable to read it for this purpose.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This book was not for me. Could never really find my groove with the writing style. I was never drawn to pick it up which is not a good sign.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I've never read a book with so many words, yet nothing to grasp onto or love. I have nothing nice or constructive to say, so I'll just end things here.

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of The Second Coming by Garth Risk Hallberg. I am sorry to say that i couldn’t get into this and ended up DNFing. It’s the story of a girl and her father, he has been out of her life for a while but then they reconnect. I found it hard to follow.

Teen depression, estranged parents, a holiday road trip, and a lifetime of trouble form the framework for Garth RIsk Hallberg's second novel. Dad Ethan moved from New York to California in an attempt to get a grip on his addiction. Already a convicted felon and divorced from his daughter's mother, he heads east when he learns that Jolie seems to have considered throwing herself in front of a subway train. He sees himself at age 13 and fears he knows what might be to come.

Hallberg is a gorgeous writer, but there is too much of this book. It reminded me of Infinite Jest, another novel that it was very hard to get through; in fact, I'm not sure I did. I stuck with The Second Coming (the title has no religious significance but refers to a book by the artist known at that time as Prince.) There are some readers who may fall in love with this novel--I suspect they are guys who also love David Foster Wallace. There are some plangent observations about the human condition but the premise did not pay off for me.

Thanks to Knopf and NetGalley for a DRC of this novel.

interesting family bonding / family relationship book tracing the path of a father and a daughter who are estranged. 4 stars

I was interested in reading this book because I liked the author’s previous work, “City on Fire”. I didn’t enjoy this one as much. The writing was quite dense.

This novel explores the complex dynamics of a fractured family, focusing on the tense relationships between a troubled teenage girl, her addicted father, and a mother who feels powerless. Despite the title, it’s not a religious book but rather a deeply introspective look at whether people can truly change.

The writing is choppy and demands patience but it is still a thoughtful, moving exploration of love, addiction, and transformation.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Not my cup of tea at all, but I could see how some readers would love this dense, strange novel about a father and a daughter. Had a hard time getting through but still glad I finished it to be sure.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy of this title in exchange for honest feedback.

A thought provoking exploration of family dynamics and redemption. The writing is rich and descriptive but can sometimes be dense which might be overwhelming for some, but there are moments of brilliance.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I can't say I enjoyed this book, so I had to DNF at 32%. I never ever DNF but I felt this book was going to push me into a reading slump. The Second Coming is the story of Jolie, a 14 year old who is subject to an accident on the NYC subway that causes her absent dad to come back into her life from California, where Ethan took off to rehab from drug addiction. This book had a good premise and some bits were interesting, but the majority of the book dragged badly. Definitely not engaging enough to read all 600+ pages. Thanks for the eARC, though.

Can the people we love ever really change?

Know going in that this is not a religious book, despite the title. This focuses on the estranged relationship between a troubled teenage girl, her addict father, and her helpless and hopeless mother. The reading is sophisticated and refined, it requires attention and focus, time to take in each word and page. I found parts to be difficult to get through more because of the writing style that I am not accustomed to, not because of the content. I am impressed by the talent the author has, and found that the style greatly affected the content to be something more grand and profound than another style would not have been able to do. Though it was not an easy read and was oftentimes complex, I was drawn to the story, to the characters and their lives, and to the mental and physical journey daughter and father endure and embrace.

“An intimate epic that plunges us deep into the lives of a teenage girl and her father as they navigate love, grief, betrayal, and redemption.”

#thesecondcoming #netgalley #bookreview

Ohmygawd this was so long. So much longer than it needed to be.
The story, about a screwed up dad trying to reconnect with his screwed up teenage daughter wasn’t bad, really, Just. Way .Too. Long.
Thanks to #netgalley and #knopf for this #arc of #thesecondcoming in exchange for an honest review.