The blurb by Nathan Hill pushed this up my list. I was hoping for a long story similar to Hill's "Wellness" but this isn't even close.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Do you ever start a book and know within the first few pages that it's just not going to be a good book? That's this one. Immediately the word that comes to mind is pretentious. From the first page, I felt as though the author was talking down to me as the reader and preening about how intelligent he is. It was an immediate turn off.

This is a well written book. It has some fine lines, a few well-conceived set pieces, a fair share of perceptive and insightful observations, and lean dialogue. That said, try as I might I found neither the characters, nor their situations, nor the overall narrative engaging enough to arouse or hold my curiosity and attention. As a consequence, it doesn't seem fair to write much more of a review, apart from encouraging inquisitive readers to give the book a try.

This was a very interesting book and I like how the author to take the chapters and divide them in and tell a story about these 2 families. It starts out Ethan's daughter named J o l I e. My mother named Sarah.I need to return to school and this turned out to be very disastrous. She was fighting a lot different things.Her father wasn't really around. ETH AN Had problems with this past and his drug addiction. He grew up in eastern short maryland with a family when his mother died He became a very different person. My sister helped me out as much as she could. His father remarried and this really sent him off. You find out how much trouble he used to get into with his friends. His wife's name Sarah G r o w up in a very structured family. Ethan and sarah's marriage do not last. When His daughter started School. Things Got really bad. It would interesting how the daughter seemed to take after her father. I.
Can't see the frustration how people really didn't understand her. When her father took her to the Eastern shore. This was really interesting in the story because You get the whole list of the story.. The story also touched on some things.Teenagers have to deal with dude. The story has a happy ending.

DNF about 20% of the way through. This was very, very hard for me to feel engaged in but I may have been able to give it more of a chance if not for the pretty significant length of the book. Difficult to care about the characters, and I would argue that it is a bit overwritten - many long, trailing sentences without much in the way of plot or character development. Perhaps I'll come back to this at some point, but it is certainly not for me right now.

This review is a tricky one for me to write because this book was so middle of the road for me. There were things I really disliked but some parts really spoke to me and I found myself loving.

I really liked the author’s writing style! I think he is a very talented writer and with more editing, this book could have easily been 4-5 stars for me. However, it was way too long. I do not shy away from a long book when it works but this one didn’t need to be as long as it was to get the story told. Even with over 600 pages, the character development fell a bit flat for me. I found myself not understanding the character’s motivations or feeling like I was really getting in their head. The author had some really good insights on human nature at times but overall it seemed like it was pretty disjointed in the story telling. I found myself taking breaks from this book several times during the time I read it.

The whole end was a bit of a slog and confusing too. It jumped around so wildly that I found myself getting lost.

I don’t think this is a book that will work for most people but there will be a few out there that will love it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc.

There was something about this book that made it very hard to connect and I honestly don’t know what it was but it just didn’t do it for me

I have had a tough time connecting with this book. I wasn't able to read the prologue because the font is too small and I couldn't make it big enough to read on my Kindle. Maybe that plays a part in my not getting into the book. I think it is well written but a bit rambling and I just couldn't finish it. Maybe I will revisit it at a later time because many people seem to have liked it .

This is an emotional piece of literary fiction that skirts the line of experimental fiction with grace. The story is told in a slight epistolary fashion with letters between a father and his daughter. The father, Ethan, is a recovering drug addict that has been absent for much of his daughter’s life. When he hears of an incident involving his daughter, he seems to think his daughter needs more help than the mother is aware of. He packs up his quiet sober life and rushes back to New York to be there for her. Jolie, the daughter, is at a crossroads in life and trying to find her way. The lure of alcohol is leading her down a dangerous road, but it seems like no one can see her pain. Angry at her father for leaving she wants to have nothing to do with him but somehow, they find a way to connect with each other in essays about their pasts and why drugs and alcohol seemed like the only escape. Ethan pours his heart into stories of his past telling Jolie stories about his teenage years and the joy that was meeting her mother and the few years he got to be her father. Jolie cobbles together a narrative of her life as a teenager through stories of everyone around her as well as herself. Understanding is built as the pages turn and we see a father that has messed up, but never gives up. The entire novel takes you deep into their lives and sucks you up in the slow moving trainwreck of their relationship. The letters allow each of them to see their faults, but it also shows the pit of grief they both experienced without the love they so desperately needed in their lives. This book was extremely well written and definitely plays with emotions. It offers a candid look into the lives of those who are broken and shows that there is always a path to redemption, but it is usually hard and takes time.

After reading this book, I can't help but wonder is Garth Risk Hallberg the second coming of David Wallace Foster?

So if you like David Wallace Foster's work, then this might be up your alley. Unfortunately, while I have slogged through Infinite Jest and The Pale King, I really am not a fan.

This novel follows a father/daughter relationship. The father, Ethan, is a drug user and no longer with Jolie's mom. He hasn't been a big presence in her life, but when she nearly gets hit by a train while attempting to retrieve her cell phone, he determines it's time to get involved.

It sounds like a great premise, and Hallberg does have some interesting observations on human nature, lots of contemporary references and an incredible vocabulary. But sophisticated writing doesn't necessarily make for great reading if the plot has minimal suspense and you don't really care about the characters. Something about the character development felt very flat . . .

My hope is that this book just wasn't for me, but it might be great for others. I read the first chapter and really considered DNFing it because I could tell I wasn't going to love it. But I persisted, and the payoff was definitely not enough given the length. Unsatisfying overall.

The Second Coming
By Garth Risk Hallberg

This is a book about parents and children, addiction, failure and redemption. Ethan and Sarah hooked up young. Ethan was already using drugs and alcohol, but they loved each other and Sarah thought she could save him from himself. They married and produced a daughter, Jolie. Ethan tried to straighten out, but each time he relapses. Finally Sarah has had enough; they split up and Ethan moves to California.

Three years later, Sarah calls Ethan to tell him Jolie was almost killed by a subway train. Sarah is learning that her daughter is in serious trouble emotionally and this may have been a suicide attempt.

Ethan decides to come back to New York to try to help his daughter. Jolie, however, has never forgiven him for abandoning her and doesn't want anything to do with him. As Ethan make repeated attempts to get through to her, Jolie falls further down the rabbit hole with her own addictive behavior. Finding out that her mother is sleeping with her teacher provides the icing on the cake.

The ongoing struggles between father and daughter continue for a further 300 pages. While any parent can relate to the mistakes made and the forgiveness sought, I felt that a reasonably good story was just too long.

A family drama, The Second Coming examines the breakdown in the relationship of a father and daughter. Every parent thinks they can tell their child to do as I say, not as I do. But it is rarely so simple. While I enjoyed the story, it was very long, and could have done with more editing.

Unfortunately, I couldn't get into it. I wasn't able to finish - got to 22%. There's a girl, a mom, a dad. I think the mom and dad are estranged. He's on a beach being a groundskeeper somewhere. I don't know how or why he's there. The daughter maybe tries to commit suicide? So suddenly the dad shows up and gets involved? It was just too strange and slow-moving for me.

God did this drag on. It rambled so much & I had an extremely hard time trying to get through it. DNFed about halfway through.

a beautifully written story about family drama, addiction, love, Jolie and Ethan, daughter and father coming together to find each other again, maybe to save each other. A really deep book, so you have to spend some time reading it, not rush through it. Worth the time spent.

This is a very long book. It was not nearly as good as City on Fire, but still I enjoyed it. It could have been shorter, and that would have made it even better. Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The second coming is hallbergs second big novel, coming after city on fire. I read City on Fire and didn’t love it, but the synopsis of this one lured me back. It seemed to be more straight-forward than City on Fire and more relatable. In some ways, it is-at its heart, it’s the story of a father in recovery from addiction and his daughter. The themes are human-longing, family, overcoming the past, searching for healing. There are parts of this that are beautifully written-some passages will stick with me for a long time. However, some of the same issues I had with city on fire I experienced here as well. There is a weird distance at times from the reader to the plot and characters. There are many times it’s never truly clear where we are in the timeline or who is narrating. And, it’s long-600 pages is an investment read and one that requires you to truly invest. There are parts and moments I felt invested, but not enough to justify 600 pages. This is a challenging read, stylistically,,but it felt self-indulgently challenging at parts.

If you loved city on fire-read this! The parts of it that were good to me were so good, but it was overall inconsistent and disjointed for me.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

OK, this one frustrated the hell out of me. I stopped reading it twice, the second time for two weeks, before I was going to give it one more shot. And I finished it, surprisingly. I didn't think I would. At over 600 pages, this was a commitment. The author clearly is brilliant, has a way with phrases and words and whatnot, but, in my opinion, really needs a good editor. There were times when I read three paragraphs and had no idea who the narrator was and what time frame the passage was taking place. It felt like every thought the writer felt the characters had was tossed out in the manuscript, and it felt a little unnecessary. In my lifetime of reading, I've never had to consult a dictionary while reading more than I did reading this book -- if I had to guess, I reckon I looked up unknown words 30 times.

The book was a varied collection from multiple points of view and multiple timelines, neither of which were always clear. Some people may love this, I didn't.

Like I said, the author is gifted, and has a wonderful way with words. I just hope it that his skill can be slightly tamed in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor | Knopf and NetGalley for an electronic Advanced Readers Copy of this novel.

The Second Coming by Garth Risk Hallberg is a story about families, a father Ethan struggling with addiction and a teenage daughter Jolie who is at risk of falling into the same life of addiction. Family drama, trying to do what's right and recognizing your faults but choosing to push through things anyway are themes of this novel. I don't mind a challenging read, but this was super long and got very confusing - events kept being talked about and it was hard to tell who was speaking and if they were talking about events in the past, and if so, when. It's about distance and people struggling to see you as you are. It was hard to get through a book that was so disjointed (I think on purpose just for effect) and to read about 2 main characters I really tried to care about but just didn't in the end.

I got through it but it was hard for me. It was super long and kept going off on tangents and it was hard to follow. I think people might like this style and will enjoy its quirkiness but unfortunately it was not for me.

Garth Risk Hallberg's latest novel, "The Second Coming," is a luminous and intricate exploration of family, love, grief, addiction, and the powerful pull of human connections. This deeply moving story revolves around 13-year-old Jolie Aspern and her estranged father, Ethan, a convicted felon and recovering addict. When Jolie drops her phone onto the subway tracks in 2011, it sets off a series of events that bring Ethan back into her life, believing he is the only one who can save her.

The narrative beautifully weaves through different time periods and perspectives, painting a rich tapestry of the characters' lives. From Ethan's turbulent past and his relationship with Jolie's mother, Sarah, to Jolie's struggles with adolescence and her mysterious admirer, the story delves into the complexities of human relationships and the scars left by past traumas.

Hallberg's writing is both exquisite and evocative, capturing the raw emotions and inner turmoil of his characters. The novel's expansive scope, touching on themes of addiction, redemption, and the search for identity, makes for an engrossing and thought-provoking read. The vivid settings, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Occupy Wall Street, further enhance the immersive experience.

While some readers may find the novel's length and detailed prose challenging, the depth and richness of the story make it a worthwhile journey. Hallberg's talent for crafting multifaceted characters and his ability to evoke empathy and understanding are truly remarkable.

"The Second Coming" is a triumph, offering a profound and intimate look at the bonds that tie us together and the struggles we face in seeking redemption and connection. A heartfelt thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC—this is a novel that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page.