Second Coming is an eclectic collection of short stories about addiction and obsession from Chad Gayle, author of the novel Let It Be.
In the title story, Jesus Christ is reincarnated as a California liberal who becomes smitten with a modern day Mary Magdalene, putting the not-for-profit kingdom that he’s built at risk. In “Candy” and “Learning to Spell,” alcoholism and drug addiction test the mettle of characters who have reached a crossroads in their respective lives; in “Reality Show,” a young man from New Jersey is forced to deal with his selfishness and his sex addiction to help the one woman he might have a future with.
These are stories about sinners and saints whose suffering forces them to look at the world, and themselves, in a whole new way.
About the Author Chad Gayle is a writer and photographer who was educated at Texas A&M University; he currently lives in New York. His debut novel Let It Be was published by Bracket Books in 2013.
"A wonderful example of literary fiction, for readers who enjoy character studies and know that life doesn't have plots and happy endings. "
Reviewer: Rhymehunter for Bookangel.
A collection of five prose pieces, these are less stories and more character studies. Among the five works are in-depth and sometimes hard to read portraits of drug addiction, alcoholism, and relationships. Driven entirely by character and not plot, these are keenly observed studies of human nature. The writing is fluid, the spotlight on the characters absolutely merciless, and while not heart-warming they keep you reading to the last word. Because the characters are so well drawn, the fact that they don't all get a happy endings, or even an ending, has a strong affect on the reader. These are definitely not happy stories; about the best they get is bittersweet, and overall the book left me with a hollow, slightly sad, feeling.
When it comes down to it, what none of these characters have is hope, and that is perhaps what makes the stories here so effective. The path that they will take, the course of events, is obvious to the reader, and yet the stories make you understand them and carry you along with their decisions every step of the way. For older readers, many of the stories may well resonate with past experience.
A wonderful example of literary fiction, for readers who enjoy character studies and know that life doesn't have plots and happy endings.
