⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Second Home
Christina Clancy
352 pages | Published by St. Martin's Press
Release Date: June 2, 2020
The Gordons, Ed, Connie, and teenage daughters Ann and Poppy, have recently taken in a teenage boy, Michael, who needed a safe place to land. The family sets off for their second home at Cape Cod, ready for another relaxed and carefree summer. But this year, the vacation ends abruptly, leaving all of the Gordons confused and unsure of the future. Now, fifteen years later, and after the tragic death of Ed & Connie, the rest of the estranged family are left to decide what to do with their beloved summer home.
This is a brilliant debut from Christina Clancy. The story of Ann, Poppy, and Michael is equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking. The family dynamics in play were all incredible - each relationship had so much depth to it. Written in multiple POVs, it was heartbreaking to read how the truth was twisted for each person - no one truly knew the full story and I desperately wanted to shake them all and force them to sit down and talk to one another.
The Second Home covers some very dark topics - drug abuse, death and mourning, and sexual abuse - but Clancy did it with extreme care. Each character's actions and reactions felt natural and real, particularly in Ann's story. Tragedy and trauma are never simple, never black and white, and Clancy captured the ambiguity of it all.
Reading this in December made me long for summer and a beach house of my own - despite the fact that this is really not a light summer read. I think that Clancy was able to beautifully capture the magic of a beloved family tradition - I'm a sucker for childhood nostalgia.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review!
Comments