The Second Home tells the story of the Gordon Family from Wisconsin. Their summers were spent at the family home in Cape Cod. The home had been in the family for generations.
Parents Ed and Connie were ex hippies and teachers who provided a loving home for their daughters Ann and Poppy. They were so giving that they adopted Ann’s newly orphaned friend Michael who was in need of a family and a safe place to live.
The story begins in 2015. The Gordon parents are now deceased and single mother Ann returns to Cape Cod to sell the family’s beloved second home. Poppy had been flitting from beach to beach around the globe teaching yoga and Michael is out of the picture. No will is found but Ann wants to quickly sell the house seeking needed funds for her son’s education.
We are taken back to 1999 when the family’s initially idyllic summer in Cape Cod ends with a tragic event. They head back to Wisconsin. Soon Michael disappears leaving the Gordon family, never to be heard from again. Until 2015, when Michael re-emerges to block the sale of the Cape Cod home hoping to own it himself.
Told in different perspectives, this engaging book shows how secrets, the lack of trust and poor communication can damage a once great family unit. You’ll feel for each of them even when they are frustrating or being unreasonable. The children of Ann and Michael provide a needed bright light as they appear at times to have more good sense than their elders. Can happiness be achieved or is it too late?
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, Edelweiss and Christina Clancy for an advance copy of this impressive debut novel. I look forward to seeing what Ms. Clancy does next.
Rated 4 out of 5 stars.
Contemporary Fiction.
Publication Date: June 2, 2020.
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