Second Nature: A Love Story
By Jacquelyn Mitchard
Random House September 2011
From the library
364 pages
When Sicily Coyne is in middle school, she finds herself in
the midst of a giant fire. Her firefighter father saves her life, but loses his
own. Sicily is left with horrific scars, even after years of surgery. Sicily
has grown into a confident young woman in spite of her disfigured face. She is
thrilled about her upcoming wedding to a childhood friend, until she learns a
shocking secret about his connection to the day that changed her life forever. Her
life is in shambles. The pain of betrayal compels Sicily to pursue a controversial
surgery that could give her a new face.
Jacquelyn Mitchard explores what would happen if someone who
had been considered ugly and a social outcast for most of her life could become
beautiful in just a few days. How would your life be changed? Would you be a
different person? How would the people
who have always been by your side react to you now? How do you perceive the new
people who come into your life? There is a lot going on in this story. There
are some very serious questions about medical ethics that Mitchard raises
through this book. As an author, she does not answer them for the reader. Instead she invites you to consider the questions and come to your own conclusions.
This is my first time reading a novel by Ms. Mitchard and I
really enjoyed it. Her writing flows effortlessly and she excelled at adding
new layers to the plot. I was surprised several times by where the story went. That being said, my favorite part was the character of
Sicily. She is unlike any character I have ever experienced in a book. Many
people would fold under such intense circumstances and hide from the world.
Sicily has an acerbic wit that dares you to tell her that she cannot do what
anyone else can. But it hides an intense vulnerability. She is a protagonist
that you will admire and root for.
Sicily realizes, “Not until I was grown did I begin to
understand that a crisis without margins is intolerable to the human
temperament. People expect you to get better, and I wasn’t going to. People
expect you to have a fighting spirit, and I didn’t…The biggest tragedy about
tragedy is this truth: It’s tedious. People can’t stand to feel obliged for a
long time. If you ever have a lingering illness, try not to linger too long.
You’ll wear out your welcome. That’s not bitterness talking. It’s experience.”
My only disappointment is the ending of this book. I
obviously don’t want to reveal it here, but suffice it to say that I don’t
enjoy open-ended conclusions. After spending an entire book with a group of
characters, I really want to know about their happy or unhappy endings.
Second Nature: A Love
Story is a great book that will have you speeding to the end to find out
what happens to Sicily, a character who demands that you pay attention to her
and her story. I would love to read another book by Jacquelyn Mitchard soon.
Any suggestions?
Excellent book, excellent review. I hope there will be a book to follow this one. I see that you haven't read this author before....you should really try "The Deep End of the Ocean" and then "No Time to Wave Goodbye", as many of the characters in this book, began in those two.
ReplyDeleteThanks. :)
DeleteYes, I had heard that many of her characters show up in other books, so it will be interesting to see how they are different in earlier books.