The Second Coming

Garth Risk Hallberg

At its core, this is a tale of the love that makes a family and how it does so.
Booklist (starred review)

Reading Garth Risk Hallberg is a constant delightful surprise you never know what s coming next: a gorgeous turn of phrase, a perfect pop culture reference, a brilliant new observation, a jaw-dropping plot twist. And all of these gifts are on full display in The Second Coming, a story about a father bound up by his mistakes, a daughter bound up in her silence, and a family in need of saving. It s a beautiful and daring novel, as inventive as it is breathtaking. Nathan Hill, author of Wellness

A portrait of a daughter in crisis and a father in need of redemption, Garth Risk Hallberg s The Second Coming is a powerful statement about the clarifying sense of purpose to be found in parental love, and how we demand more of ourselves for the sake of our children. Hallberg s Ethan is a fascinating study in whether a certain kind of arrested American male, consumed early on by purposelessness and addiction, can in fact have a second act, even if his first is still, somehow, belatedly, being written, and not entirely by him. Matthew Thomas, author of We Are Not Ourselves

Garth Risk Hallberg s The Second Coming is a sprawling, aching, ultimately hopeful account of a father s love for a daughter and a daughter s defiance of that love when all too often it manifests as dysfunction. Hallberg deals with the dilemma of parental inheritance with a light touch, and the grace that finally descends on the Aspern clan is not only transformative but triumphant. Joshua Ferris, author of Then We Came to the End

Garth Risk Hallberg s great gift is his ability to translate epic themes into intensely intimate, cumulatively powerful novels. Full of tension and emotion and populated by vivid characters and ideas, The Second Coming builds word by word to capture the intricacies of life while revealing its own breathtaking scope. This is a