Second Chances

by Marc Cullison, April Webster, Melanie Farrar

"I grew up between my brothers, learning early that love doesn't always come with understanding."

In Second Chances, Marc Cullison tells the story of the Carter family through the voice of Susan Carter, a woman who grows up between two brothers whose differences are apparent long before they reach adulthood. From an early age, Susan learns to watch carefully, to listen closely, and to navigate the quiet tensions that define her family's inner life.



Both of Susan's brothers serve in Vietnam. Both return home. But the war leaves its mark unevenly. Dennis comes back much as he always was-confident, forceful, and untroubled by self-doubt. Alan, younger and more introspective, returns carrying the weight of what he experienced overseas, struggling to reconcile the man he was before the war with the one who came home.



As years pass, the family settles into patterns formed early in life. Dennis continues to dominate. Alan continues to withdraw. Susan remains in the middle, bearing witness to the long shadow cast by childhood roles and unspoken trauma. She understands that love does not require approval, and loyalty does not always bring peace.



When illness forces the family back into close proximity, Susan is confronted with memories she has spent years holding at a careful distance. The past resurfaces-not to be resolved neatly, but to be seen more clearly.



Written with restraint and emotional honesty, Second Chances is a novel about family bonds, the lingering effects of war, and the quiet endurance of those who observe more than they are allowed to speak. It is a story about memory, loyalty, and the uneasy truth that understanding does not always change people-but it can change how we live with them.

238 pages, Hardcover

Published February 14, 2026

Reviews

[Annabelle J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second Chances is one of those quiet, heavy books that stays with you between reading sessions. I'm currently about halfway through, and what's pulling me in is the tension between Dennis and Alan.
Two brothers who grew up under the same roof but ended up on completely opposite paths, one to college and Vietnam, the other to a life of staying put and competing for superiority. The way Cullison writes their resentment is subtle but cutting. You feel it in what they don't say to each other.
Susan's position as the only sister, trying to mediate and failing, is heartbreaking. I'm eager to see how the tragedy mentioned in the description changes everything. So far, this is a deeply human story about how families fall apart, and whether they can ever come back together

[Stephen · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Second Chances is not a light read, but it's a rewarding one. I'm currently mid-way through and completely absorbed in the lives of Susan, Dennis, and Alan. What strikes me most is how the author shows that family bonds don't break in a single moment they erode over decades, through neglect, jealousy, and silence. The brothers' relationship is toxic in a way that feels painfully real. Alan's return from Vietnam adds another dimension of struggle that Cullison writes with obvious authority. Susan's attempts to soothe and mediate are both noble and futile, and that tension is what keeps me turning pages. This is a story about whether it's ever too late to change. I'm not sure of the answer yet, but I'm glad to be on the journey.

[Peter · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

Currently reading Second Chances by Marc Cullison, and it's one of those books that makes you think about your own life. The story follows three siblings Dennis, Alan, and Susan, whose relationships fracture over years of jealousy, competition, and misunderstanding. The Vietnam War plays a major role in Alan's story, and the author's firsthand knowledge shines through. But what's really impressive is how the war isn't just a backdrop it's a lens that reveals who these characters really are. Dennis fights his own battles at home. Susan fights to be seen. And Alan fights to survive, both overseas and after he returns. I'm not finished yet, but this one is already leaving a mark. Highly recommend for readers who love deeply human stories.

[Samson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm partway through Second Chances and already struck by how well Cullison captures the slow unraveling of a family. Susan, Dennis, and Alan aren't just characters, they're the kind of siblings you recognize.
The older brother who bullies, the younger one who shrinks, and the sister caught in between trying to keep the peace. What I appreciate most is that the author doesn't rush the breakdown. It happens over years, through small moments, through silence and distance.
The Vietnam thread adds another layer of pain that feels authentic. I'm not finished yet, but this book has already made me reflect on my own family dynamics.

[Michael]

I'm about a third of the way into Second Chances and already impressed by how much Cullison trusts his reader. He doesn't explain everything. He doesn't tell you who to sympathize with. He just puts three broken siblings on the page and lets you sit with them. Dennis, the older brother, is hard to like but hard to dismiss. Alan, the Vietnam vet, is carrying so much pain it radiates off the page. Susan, the sister in the middle, is the heart of the book, trying to love two people who won't love each other.

[Emmanuel Flex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm partway through Second Chances and finding it hard to sum up how I feel. It's a sad book, but not a hopeless one. Cullison writes about family with a kind of clear-eyed tenderness, he sees all the flaws, all the failures, but he doesn't judge. Dennis and Alan's relationship is the central wound, and Susan's attempts to heal it are the emotional core. The Vietnam sequences are vivid and haunting, clearly drawn from experience. What I appreciate most is the restraint. Nothing is over-explained. The reader is trusted to feel the weight of decades of discord without being told how to feel

[Grace Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Chances is a novel about three siblings who become strangers to each other, and I'm finding it deeply moving. Cullison takes his time showing how the brothers' relationship deteriorated. What's impressive is how he handles Alan's PTSD from Vietnam. It's not just a plot point. It's woven into who he is, how he thinks, how he isolates himself. And I'm here for it. Looking forward to the second half

[Addy Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up Second Chances expecting a family drama, but what I'm getting is something richer, a meditation on memory, trauma, and the things that keep siblings apart long after childhood ends. Cullison's writing about Vietnam through Alan's eyes is especially powerful.
You can tell he's writing from experience.

[Danni A · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I'm reading Second Chances right now and already know it's going to be one of my favorites of the year. The premise, three siblings, one tragic event, a lifetime of distance, could have been handled in a heavy-handed way, but Cullison is too skilled for that. He lets the story breathe. He lets the characters reveal themselves through small choices and old memories

[Corlin Culotte · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Currently reading Second Chances by Marc Cullison, and I have to say, this author understands siblings. The dynamic between Dennis, Alan, and Susan is so specific and so universal at the same time