Second Nature

by Alice Hoffman

While trying to cope with a divorce and a troubled teenaged son, Robin Moore impulsively decides to hide a institutionalized man in her suburban home, with dire consequences for the community and her own feelings. Reprint.

Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Chick Lit

290 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Alice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The World That We Knew; The Marriage of Opposites; The Red Garden; The Museum of Extraordinary Things; The Dovekeepers; Here on Earth, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; and the Practical Magic series, including Practical
Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more Alice Hoffman books I read, the more I admire her. I neglected giving her a try for the longest time because she's more "mainstream" i.e. popular, and I consider myself someone who likes authors most people don't. But her books really speak for themselves and are amazing. This one was no exception. She draws you into a story no matter what it's about, and her actual writing ability is hypnotic. Several sections she wrote in _Second Nature_ about love and how it feels seem to go right to the core of humankind. And that's why I admire her as an author...she seems to have that rare ability to hold up a perfect mirror to all of mankind, and find beauty in it.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Don't let them take me someplace." When he spoke after so many years, the words actually hurt, each one a crooked bone, a fishhook, a burning star. Already, he was starting to disappear.

~~~~
This is my first story by Alice Hoffman. I know she has a devoted following; the readers that love her style of writing seem to appreciate all of her stories. I had a problem with this piece of fiction; I am not sure what I should tell you. It is unique; you will need to set aside your skepticism and just go with the flow as others did.

There was some family drama. An ex-husband, a hormonal teenager, a crotchety great-grandfather and a depressive older brother.

There was romance.

There were little messages for those that paid close attention and some mild suspense bordering on.....

At times, the writing was exquisitely descriptive: fluid and transcendent. And at other moments it felt disjointed and cracked. Time seemed to move forward and then a memory flooded the page and took you somewhere else.

Like so many other people, I just kept on reading. Because I needed to know how the story would end.

3.5 stars

[Melliott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those finish-in-one-sitting books. The characters are so compellingly alive that even when they say or do the most illogical, improbable things, you're right there with them. The setting is as compelling as the characters--I want to give up everything to go live in a fisherman's shack on the beach like Stuart, I want to sneak out to meet Connor on a cold winter's night, I want to run like Stephen around the circumference of the island, I want to pause, like Robin, with my hand on a doorknob, wondering… Few authors can pull off the simultaneous breathless anticipation and slightly melancholy inevitability of the story. Her later books got a little darker, but this is the Hoffman I adore.

[Joseph Sciuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Hoffman is known too many readers as this marvelous author who is cleverly able to mix spiritual magic into her stories that involve very serious plots...many historical, familiar, and social.

"Second Nature," has no spiritual magic, yet it is as magical and brilliant as any of her novels. The magic, in this novel, is the environment around us...forests, animals, a brilliant star full night, snow and ice. It is against this background that this amazing author, dives into infidelity, divorce, first love, raising children, and love that passes from one generation to another.

Her characters are so real and their stories so compelling that I read this book in one sitting which is very unusual for me.

Throughout, I thought of a saying from the great John Lennon. He said, "that everyone is looking for a miracle and yet a miracle happens every day and most of us sleep right through it ... the beautiful rising of the sun."

[Melodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young man living among wolves is trapped and hospitalized. Traumatized and terrified he does not speak and because of his extremely disheveled look and his instinctual behavior, he is dubbed The Wolf Man. On the day of his transfer to a mental institution,recently divorced Robin on impulse, manages to spirit him away to her home.
So begins a twisted tale of love and redemption, and what is possible when traditional beliefs and habits, or second nature,can be suspended.The beauty of Alice Hoffman's work is she writes in such a way that logical belief can be suspended. Magical realism, or whatever you choose to call it is her bread and butter. Second Nature is no different.
I enjoyed the many characters, especially Stephen, the so called wolf man. Robin got on my nerves quite a bit, but I could see her reasoning most of the time. First love, that deep powerful all encompassing relationship also is part of the story. I enjoyed that as well. Why just 3 stars? A reader unfamiliar with Hoffman's work might have difficulty suspending belief on this story. And there was an element of events left dangling that rankled me. But hey, this was not my story to tell. I am glad she told it.

[debbicat *made of stardust* · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve only read a few of Alice Hoffman’s books but I like her writing so much. This would not be my favorite. It’s good. I can suspend disbelief. I was drawn to the wolf man story. Even the passionate romance. I had difficulty with the animal killings and I’m typically quite sensitive to that. I do understand why it was part of this book. I just don’t enjoy reading about it. The book had a lot of sadness too. I wished for a different ending.

I’ll keep reading Hoffman. I’m actually also reading The Red Garden right now with the Retro group as buddy read this weekend.

With the current quarantine I’m getting in a lot more welcomed reading. It’s lovely 😊 on my patio. I have 3 credits available on audible right now. Which Hoffman should come next? I truly loved the Magic books. Rules and Practical. I think they are the style I like best. I didn’t love A Marriage of Opposites. Tho it was quite good.

Leave a rec if you are a Hoffman fan. Will be up for a lot of patio reading in the next few weeks.

[Weng · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5.0 stars

"In only a few hours, they'd transfer him and he'd be gone forever. Already, he was starting to disappear. Soon he would forget that the upturned leaves on the trees predicted whether or not it would rain, and that a rabbit dared not move if you covered its eyes. That was how they decided what to take down, at least he remembered that. They went after whatever was frightened and gave up easily. Anything that had the courage to stare you down, you let pass by..as he saw her looking at him that way, he knew he hadn't made a mistake."

The Wolf Man is an archetypal feral child who grew up in the wild before a recent accident brought his strange case to light and he was returned back to civilization. Primitive and unresponsive, he was threatening and kept like a prisoner until his plea to an unknown woman aided his escape. Robin was tough and reckless in her youth, got pregnant young, married her high school sweetheart whom she's now in the process of divorcing. Whether it be pity or curiosity, or insanity, she brought the Wolf Man to her home. What's supposed to be a one-night sanctuary stretched on wherein both Robin and the Wolf Man learn from one another - raising the grave questions, getting answers and then questioning them all over again. But just when everything is finally falling into place, a brutal murder shatters the tranquil town only to point judgmental fingers towards an innocent stranger.

I've read this book a long, long time ago. But I regret not giving it the credit it deserves. Woven through a third-person narrative, this is possibly one of Hoffman's best. Loosely inspired by classic tales such as; The Jungle Book and Tarzan, it plays with the idea of taming a savage for the sake of conformity, but is it really possible to shed one's nature/nurture and if so, is it everything that it's cracked up to be?

Plenty of moral dilemma were challenged by this book by implication. And I absolutely loved it. It vaguely reminds me of the bombard of emotions I got watching The Rise of the Planet of the Apes film which in essence is similar in its undercurrents. It is likewise exciting to have an inside look on the workings of Stephen(the wolf man)'s mind and how his innocent view of the world keeps up to his now adult comprehension and how he incorporates his wild upbringing to society and realizing it's not very different in comparison. I love the ending of this book - absolutely heartbreaking yet no less fitting. Second Nature is a hauntingly dark and memorable story about compassion, love and the true measure of what it means to be human.

Recs? Click spoiler

What comes to mind when I think about this book is this Asian/South Korean film, Werewolf Boy. Not your generic teen fantasy, expect tears.

[Sandra Nedopričljivica · Rating 4 out of 5]

„Što je to, to svjetlo koje plamti u tebi, to zbog čega se osjećaš kao da nemaš dovoljno zraka? Znao je što je privrženost, to je ono zbog čega se ostaje zajedno i štiti jedno drugo i dijeli s drugima čak i kad se nema dovoljno ni za sebe.“

Samo jedan dječak preživjet će avionsku nesreću. On će rasti, loviti i živjeti s vukovima. Kad ga ljudi pronađu, zatvorit će ga u bolnicu i tako će postati samo broj - 3119. Nazvat će ga Stephen iako će po hodnicima govoriti o Likantropu – Čovjeku-vuku. Stephen neće dati glasa od sebe sve do trenutka dok ne sretne Robin Moore, koja dolazi razgovarati s bratom Stuartom, njegovim psihijatrom. „Ne dajte da me odvedu“, njegove su prve riječi, na koje Robin ne može ostati imuna. Uzet će ga sa sobom i smjestiti u svoj tavanski sobičak.

Iza Robin je propali brak a ono što joj je ostalo uz sina Connnora je briga o starom čangrizavom djedu i posao s biljkama. Stephen će naučiti živjeti među ljudima, zaljubiti se i pokazati svoju emotivnu stranu. U međuvremenu se u gradiću pojavljuju životinje prerezanih vratova.

Ovo je priča o ljubavi, obitelji, unutarnjoj borbi nas samih uhvaćenih ukoštac sa trenutnim životnim situacijama. Priča je to i o ljudskoj slabosti, neprihvaćanju onoga što je drugačije od stvari na koje smo navikli, jer tako je najlakše osuditi one koji nisu kao mi.

Druga priroda je prvi roman koji sam pročitala od Alice Hoffman i sigurno ću potražiti i druge jer mi se definitivno svidio njen lepršavi i nenametljivi stil pripovijedanja. Preporučujem čitanje, ako ništa drugo barem zbog toga da otkrijete je li istinita ona latinska: „Homo homini lupus est.“

[jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars from me ✨ Read this in participation of PaSTORY Time's My So Called 90's Bookclub. Really loved the beginning and ending of this - the last 50 pages in particular really had me rapt! Whilst it did lose momentum for me slightly in the middle, I still really enjoyed the overall tone of this one; the mundanity with just a hint of the peculiar. I was reminded a few times of the fourth True Blood book, Dead to the World, which I was very much here for. I did expect more of a magical realist story from what I’ve heard said of Hoffman’s work (this was my first foray into her books, but certainly won’t be my last) prior to reading, so didn’t really expect the mystery element with just a hint of the supernatural. A pleasant surprise!

[Autumn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite writers. She offers a simple yet satisfying escape, usually with complicated (in a good way) and surprising undertones.

And although I think, maybe I managed to understand the meanings behind some of this story, I could not shrug off some of it that bothered me almost to the point of putting the book down. Perhaps my sensitivity lately does not lend itself well to this book? Okay. Let me stop being vague.

This is what I disliked about this book:

So Robin, one of the main characters, single mom, finds her cat, Homer dead on the porch with his throat slit. She proceeds to lay him tenderly on the grass as she cries. Then Wolf Man, Stephen, ( who I love because he really is empathetic usually) comes up behind her to comfort her. Then, they have a very primal display of sex on the lawn next to her cat. I just... NO. Wth. But who am I to judge fictional characters? Well, I guess as an animal lover I didn't want this image in my brain from any type of genre.

Also, the story kind of goes all 'Call of the Wild' and I think it should not have ended where it did. Things were left too vague and I wanted her to lay it all (her point) out there.

Some of the characters are annoyingly mean spirited, like Robin's best fake friend. Every time she entered the picture, I had to ask myself why is she there in the first place? She's a one dimensional character that gets the crappy narcissistic mom of the world award. What was the point of her character?

Okay, so this is what saved the book for me:

Stephen's ( Wolf Man- he was raised by wolves) relationship with Robin's grandpa is extremely touching. The way he cares for him as he is dying and knows what he is feeling made me cry. There is also lots of complexities and poetic like verses in these scenes that I cherished.

I also like how she shows the mercy in the wilderness compared to the almost sometimes unforgiving place of humanity.

But I left this book feeling extremely bad, like hearing an awful news story you want to burn out of your mind but can't... and I'm still sorrow filled over it. Animal lovers may want to pass on this one?

[BuchBesessen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicht glaubwürdig, teils vorhersehbar, aber sehr fesselnd erzählt durch einen allwissenden Erzähler.

Für mich gab es ein paar Lücken.
Die Beziehung zwischen Old Dick und Stephen fand ich berührend. Das Ende ist stimmig.

Insgesamt ein unterhaltsames Buch aus dem Genre des Magischen Realismus.

[Cecilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but not really filled out to something meaningful. It kind of petered out at the end, so there wasn't much of a plan for the plot.

A couple of the characters were interesting (Roy, the grandfather, the son).

Overall - not quite sure what the author intended, but there were good moments.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetically tragic story filled with the luminous glow of longing and forbidden love...Heartbreaking, multi-layered love story of complete devotion and self-sacrifice.

[Cicero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoffman lives up to her hype of expressive words and phrases that convey setting, relationships, and character growth. Overall, this author is a master of the craft and will not disappoint those who look for structure and need a solid construct of story elements. As for the story itself, it was a strange read. Hoffman created a character that had been raised, and loved, by wolves. Having been hurt, he is 'rescued' and institutionalized in the hopes of civilizing him. However, the main character of this story is a woman who is recently separated from her husband. She 'saves' the wolf-man by sneaking him out of the institution and is determined to bring him some semblance of safety and care. Leaving the details aside, Hoffman brings to life the social interactions of people who live on an island, all of which is subtly balanced against the wolf-man's sensibilities. He stands within the story like a maypole with the ribbons of lives dancing around him, braiding or snarling as people move through their actions, while he remains unseen and unknown to the inhabitants until the end.
This was certainly not the epitome of books and I am not moved to own my own copy. However, it has left me with thoughts and questions, juxtaposing social ideals against the wolf-man's simple and instinctual beliefs and actions. The way our society treats the elderly, our approach to death, the treatment of others, the nurturing of our children are just the tip of the questions that a careful reader might come away with. An interesting read, one that may not be at the top of your list but one that you might want to consider if you wish something different from your norm.

[Lori]

A wonderful synthesis of Beauty and the Beast and Tarzan! Sexy, scary, fun.

[Rebecca]

I've read this book so many times that I can't believe I'm reading it again -- but, I am. I love Alice Hoffman's quirky blend of magic realism and pragmatism.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

bittersweet tale looking at who behaves more humanely - a “boy raised by wolves” or the humans who discover him.

[Caitlen Strickland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hoffman has a way of making bittersweet stories beautiful. This was another book I debated on rating a 4 but realized there was no reason not to give it a full 5 stars.

With its meandering story that is much like the roots of trees it references often, Second Nature is a narrative rich with characters that make me feel like I could've lived in that town with them all my life. Hoffman continues to create characters and their actions that speak to a level of realness not often seen.

I've read a lot of books, A LOT, and honestly, Hoffman portrays some of the most realistic storytelling I've read.

I had guessed who the killer was early on, but this book is 30 years old, and I think for its time, it would've been a bigger surprise. I went into this book not even knowing there WAS a murderer so surprise!

This book was really good. I woukd reccomend it to fans of Alice Hoffman's, but I'm sure it has its fair share of critics.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautifully written & absorbing tale from Hoffman but for me lacking the hints of mysticism that I so enjoy in her work.....still a five star read though :o)

[RNOCEAN · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beguiled by her seductive prose and her imaginative virtuosity, readers have always been willing to suspend disbelief and enjoy the touches of magic in Hoffman's novels ( Illumination Night ; Turtle Moon , etc). Here, credibility is stretched not by magical intervention but by the implausibility of a major character. When a feral young man is discovered living with wolves in a remote area of upper Michigan, he cannot speak and can barely remember his early life. Transferred to a hospital in Manhattan, he does not utter a sound and is on his way to being incarcerated in a mental institution until divorced landscape designer Robin Moore impulsively hustles him into her pickup truck and carries him to the sanctuary of her home on an island in Nassau County. There the Wolf Man reveals that his name is Stephen and that he was the sole survivor of a plane crash that killed his parents when he was three-and-a-half years old; thereafter he lived with a wolf pack. Within three months Robin teaches Stephen to read; soon afterwards they begin a passionate affair. How Stephen can so easily expand the small vocabulary he had mastered at a tender age but has never used since, how suddenly he can deal with sophisticated concepts, speak in grammatical sentences and even observe the social graces, is the central flaw that undermines what is otherwise a highly engaging tale. Stephen's presence in the community causes various people to reassess their lives; then there is a tragedy involving a child, (a device that is beginning to be a pattern in Hoffman's novels, as are strange changes in climate that herald a significant event). Hoffman's keen appraisal of human nature and her graceful prose do much to keep this novel appealing; but the bedrock implausibility may deter readers from whole-hearted enjoyment

Even though I love Alice Hoffman's writing, this is not her best. I did enjoy her writing though and would rate this as a 3 out of 5.

[Crvena Kraljica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slučajan susret između pacijenta umobolnice pod brojem 3119 zvanog Likantrop i Robin Moore, žene, čiji brat radi u ovoj ustanovi, neće ostati samo na tome. Njegov vapaj i rečenica :"Ne dajte da me odvedu" utjecao je na nju samu, pa ga odvodi kući sa sobom.
Čovjek-vuk , kako su ga zvali je zapravo dječak , koji je preživio avionsku nesreću i kojeg su u divljini othranili vukovi. Samim tim je to čovjek, koji malo priča i potrebno mu je puno vremena da se adaptira na ljude i civilizaciju oko sebe.
Ovo je zapravo kratak sadržaj ovog, po meni lijepog i zanimljivog romana koji nas vodi u jednu sasvim novu , neobičnu i zanimljivu ljubavnu priču.
Čitajući je, bila sam nestrpljiva kako će se ona završiti, budući da se glavna protagonistica romana zaljubljuje u njega, a naravno, tu je još puno ljudi koji su protiv te veze. Moram priznati da mi se način pisanja Alice Hoffman jako sviđa(Čitala sam od nje samo" Čarolije za svakodnevnu upotrebu" ),jer piše neobičnom lakoćom riječi, te s nevjerojatnom toplinom koja zrači iz svake njene rečenice.
Ova knjiga je spoj krimića, egzotike , ljubanog romana i mistike, dakle , u sebi sadrži sve ono što bi držalo jednog čitača do samog kraja knjige.
Što je ljubav, kako prevladati emocije koje nas gone da napravimo nešto što možda nije u ljudskoj prirodi, kako prevladati onu "drugu prirodu" koju svaki čovjek ima u sebi? Ne radi se tu samo o Čovjeku-vuku koji je zapravo glavni pokretač niza pitanja, već se radi o tome da svi mi u sebi imamo onu "divlju", "vučju" stranu. Koliko ćemo dozvoliti da ona ispliva na površinu, ovisi o nama samima.Baš kako kaže citat Jean-Jacquesa Rousseaua na početku knjige: " Priroda nas nikad ne vara; mi smo ti koji sami sebe zavaravamo. "

[Margo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my 3rd Alice Hoffman book. I was spoiled by reading The Dove Keepers first. Second Nature is her 10th novel and shows some, but not all, of the strength of writing she displayed in Dove Keepers.
The tale is essentially a fantasy retold for the modern world. A very young child (too young to be believed) becomes a wolf boy and as an adult is chaptered by humans. A divorced psych ward nurse takes him home and teaches him the essentials of civilized behavior. They become lovers. She lives with her teenage son who is in love with the daughter of her best friend. Her ex-husband is a cop. Add to the small town drama there is a sociopathic killer of small animals who graduates to a human. The conflicts are inevitable and the final out come is somewhat predictable. One can not change his fundamental nature and the call of the wild.
I thought the book had some well written and thoughtful parts but in other sections it was choppy and the ending was far too fairy tale. Much of the story is not unique especially the love interest of the son. The basis of the story was too much of a stretch. The hero learns to adapt much too fast and the initial small town acceptance of him is too strange.
However I would recommend the book if you like Alice Hoffman.

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Robin Moore rescues a wild, nonspeaking young man--called the Wolf Man because he was found, injured, in a wolf trap--from impending transfer to a mental hospital. In the process of teaching Stephen how to live in "civilized" suburban society, she falls in love with him. Meanwhile, neightborhood animals are found with their throats slit, and a teenage girl is murdered; the Wolf Man is naturally a suspect. Hoffman writes with surehanded grace and detail about Stephen's many years living with a pack of wolves, and she's equally adept at sensitively examining marriage, first love, and adultery. Difficult questions about nature vs. nurture, what it means to be civilized, the justification for murder, and the mysteries of real love are explored in evocative prose. (from the Library Journal review)

A quick, delightful read. I agree with other reviewers: the "raised by wolves" fantasy is a bit overdone, but this is one of the best treatments of that particular plot I've read by far.

[missy jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole time I was reading this book, I had mixed feelings about it. I loved the story itself, the magical, mythological quality of it. And there was plenty of beautiful language and powerful imagery to hold me to the story, including a few memorable passages about love. But there was something about Hoffman's writing style in this book --perhaps the way she scrunches scenes together without ever really writing in scene-- that I found disjointing and distracting. Often her backstory felt forced to me. I kept telling myself that maybe she was moving back and forth in time with so little transition because she was trying to maintain a floaty quality in the narrative... but if that was her intention, it fell short for this reader.

[Adobe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I struggled through the beginning -- the boring introduction of a feral man to modern society, the tedious entrance of the stubborn heroine who rescues the Wolfman from a psychiatric ward, the over-explained background histories for both of them -- until I got to page 55 and this line:

"He'd already realized he could not begin to understand the things men did; now he saw women were even harder to figure out. Sometimes it almost seemed as if they were thinking one thing and talking about something else completely, and you didn't know what to believe: the thing they said or the thing they didn't say."

And that's when I realized that there was nothing on Earth that could make me read further.

[Peg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope that eventually I'll be able to read off the books written by Alice Hoffman. I certainly have a long way to go but managed to quickly read Second Nature. I liked the well-developed characters, the concept, and of course, the writing style. She usually writes with more mysticism than she did in this novel, but she has written a novel that I enjoyed very much. It has depth, suspense, emotion, realistic settings, and a secret, sad romance.

Alice Hoffman knows how to write about human nature. This novel has several story lines among its characters and they all deal with how we react to various situations in our lives. Thought-provoking book.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Alice Hoffman's work more than I admire it, partly because her stories seem so easy. She tells an engaging story, scripts it neatly, and peoples it with well drawn characters. Second Nature is a lovely allegory about how our own best impulses are undermined by our uncertainties. Its making its hero a "feral boy" is a little implausible and a tad magical, but that is part of (and part of the point of) the book's charm. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, ripped right through it, was satisfied but not bowled over. A thoughtful "slice of life" novel with a central twist.

[Cherie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A An absolutely delicious (yet sad) love story. After a plane crashes and everyone dies by 3.5 yo Stephen, he is raised by wolves. After his leg is caught in a trap, he is sent to a hospital and about to be committed when Robin encounters him and spontaneously takes him home b/c she knows he isn't crazy. It's an amazing book with layers of love story, passion, intensity, and sadness. I loved it and want to read it again already.

[Tenaya Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the whole book in a state of bemusement. The writing was tight and it kept my attention, but more often than not I found myself wondering what the devil I was reading and why was I reading it.

[Anastasiaadamov · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been nearly decade and a half since the last time I've read this book.
It is still as engaging and intriguing as it was the last time I've read it.
I love the writing style and how the characters are portrayed.
I'm glad I own this book.