A Second Chance

by Felicia Mihali

Adam is happily married when he has a stroke at the age of fifty, and his behaviour changes to that of a ten-year-old. What are his secrets? Are there any he should be sharing? His wife would like to know. A Second Chance reveals its secrets slowly. We can see how changed Adam is, but we also sense that we dont know the whole story. The wife is loving, but there is a puzzling edge to her account of her days with Adam. Its only as we come to the devastating conclusion that we learn what happened before Adam suffered his stroke. A novel about devotion and betrayal, A Second Chance is also about forgiveness.

128 pages, Paperback

First published May 26, 2014

About the author

Born in Romania, Felicia Mihali has lived in Montreal since 2000. After studies in French, Mandarin and Dutch, she specialized in Postcolonial Literature at the University of Montreal, where she also studied Art History and English Literature. She is co-founder of the webzine Terra Nova, which she edited for five years, and has published seven novels in French since 2002. The Darling of Kandahar is the first of her novels to be written in English.

Reviews

[Cristina G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think Felicia Mihali excels in building strong, interesting characters, whose development is marked by at least one unusual event or circumstance. In A Second Chance, the story is told from the point of view of a woman who has the responsibility (and the chance) to re-educate and re-shape her husband Adam after a stroke has affected his mind. Although the man behaves like a child (the children books he reads being just one obvious sign), the narrator insists that an adult who has forgotten is not a child. The former had a past. The writer makes constant and often hilarious comparisons between the determined and even stubborn man before the stoke and the submissive and timid “new” Adam, whose memories his wife is free to reinvent at her heart’s desire. She describes their everyday life story in a lucid, objective, matter-of-fact style, without any traces of sadness, annoyance or regret: what happened, happened, now it’s time to move on.
I got so attached to the couple in this novel, so captivated by their story, that I was sorry to leave them at the end of the book.

[Roxana Ovezea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, very genuine, extremely touching,a book for the soul,a book to be red.
When I bought the book I had great expectations; finally they were all exceeded! I was deeply moved by Felicia Mihali's latest book: "A second chance". I have red it in a few hours and once the end reached, I found myself really confused, somewhere between sadness and happiness. I loved everything about it: the story, the style, the simple words used to describe simple people, the characters and most of all, the vivid sensation of touching with my fingers pieces of someone's life. Felicia is a master of elaborate simplicity: so many feelings and emotions in so few words! Her book made me think, change my mind, think again harder and finally made up my mind: after all, a second chance is a gift that anyone should be able to offer. For free.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great condensed novel about life and its important values: friendship, devotion,, forgiveness. Once again, Felicia Mihali surprises the reader with a female character that combines fragility and strenght. It is thanks to her resilience and to her capacity to love and forgive that her surroundings gain meaning and...chances. And the effect is the same on the reader.

[Mav]

The Psychology of Guilt, a great subject skilfully deployed across a realistic writing that perfectly meets its imperative : to denounce our faults to each and everyone. A story to read in a few hours but to ruminate long time after.

[Angel Mota · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book about human fragility and forgiveness. Every single page is full of a mastered writing that introduces us to the Rumanian community in Montreal, with a universal objective: the search of happiness in everyday life. The loss of memory can be a gift.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I greatly admired another novel recently published by Linda Leith Publishing (Love Letters of the Angels of Death by Jennifer Quist). A Second Chance combined an intriguing premise (a woman's husband, age 50, has suffered a stroke and is perhaps now at the mental age of a 10 year old; nonetheless they have a life together), very skillful writing, and a sense of dread, that there is perhaps more to be revealed. I was fully on board and very captivated for the first 109 pages (of 122; it's a very short book). But ultimately the "revelation" in the book's final pages seemed oh-so-promising and yet incomplete to me.

[Robert · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book when I picked it up but of the 122 pages nearly 100 are nonessential. When conflict is finally introduced, it lasts for several pages before the narrator brushes it aside as the book ends.
Thankfully it was short and so I didn't waste much of my time.

[Liliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

"La cincizeci de ani, Adam sufera un accident cerebral care ii distruge aproape in totalitate memoria. Redus la inteligenta unui copil de zece ani, traind cu teroarea de a fi vesnic supus la teste, el devine cu totul dependent de sotia lui. Care este secretul acestui cuplu ce zace ascuns sub aparenta unei familii fericite? Accidentul lui Adam nu este oare un pretext penrtu a scapa de obsesia trecutului?

Publicat pentru prima oara in engleza, acest roman reprezinta o adevarata fresca a comunitatii romanesti din Canada, unde orice poveste de succes ascunde adesea un teribil secret. Un roman despre iubire si iertare."

[MS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting subject, relatable characters, good narrative voice. I enjoyed both the introspection and the social observations. Loved the ending, as well.