The Second Coming starts off very fast-paced through the eyes of a homosexual couple questioning the sermons of a preacher. One half of the couple, David, is very cutthroat and to-the-point, while the other, Michael, is more emotional and introverted. The author's initial confrontation between David and the preacher opens up the threshold to his thought-provoking subject of, "How well do you know God?", by having the preacher question his own account of how well he knows the story of creation. By the second page you already know that you're in for a story that's going to make you dig deeper into your beliefs and the ideal of questioning the status quo.
By chapter 2 you are introduced to Margaret, a defense attorney born into very old money, whose parents ignored her existence, subconsciously leading her to leave the age-old family career of philandering for a more substantial, productive career in law; it is here that the author targets the current tensions regarding race in the United States, when he describes one of her very first cases.
The author boldly discusses racial tensions between African-Americans and whites in South Carolina, and turns the table on its head by telling the story from a never before exampled side. Margaret's case reminded me of the white trucker who ran over an African-American boy a few years ago. The story made headlines when a bystander snapped a photograph of an African-American woman shielding the trucker from the attacks of others in the neighborhood, yelling that it was an accident. This was one of the very first cases in the United States where someone made it a point to show that there were individuals who set race aside to focus on underlying issues.
Scott Pinsker's attention to a similar situation in Margaret's case is what makes him a prime candidate for future books regarding society and the change we can create when we bring ideas like this book to the forefront. In my opinion he tackles many of the social issues we're currently experiencing today and a bold approach.
Every aspect of this book is aimed at changing the idea that personal perspectives are written in stone, that religious beliefs are final, and he emphasizes that questioning the norm should be the new normal. This book does a great job of getting this point across stealthily.
In a conversation Margaret has with a stranger she asked him what he does for a living, she followed that by saying "You are what you do, right?" The stranger's response is simple, "No, you are what you think". This is a powerful statement, and one every reader should take from this book when they close it.
There are various occasions in this book by the author accurately portrays some of the fears people may have that cause them to not question the normalcy of their lives; going back to David and Michael, there is an occasion where the preacher invites them to come to church. David begins to question whether not they should go. The reader can interpret the author's description of the scene as David internally questioning whether church would even be accepting of him. In a conversation with Michael he says, "What if he only wants us to go to church so he can tell us how bad we are?". And in small ways, it is reminiscent of the current situations regarding homosexual couples and their freedom to choose religions, however there is a large population that is afraid to go to church because of their inner demons that tell them that being homosexual and going to church are two separate sides of a table they're sitting at. Why can't it just be a one side table? This interaction between David and Michael will make you question that.
Overall this book is a battle between good and evil in a way that has never before been created; the battle takes place within each characters head and the reader's head.
Favorite Quotes:
"Here's this guy who was the numero uno disciple of Jesus Christ – the Savior's go to sidekick. The dude died a martyr and founded the entire Catholic Church. Right? Yet according to tradition, before you pass through the pearly gates, Peter's job is to decide whether or not you're worthy. Isn't that sort of the demeaning? The guy is a saint – and we're forcing him to spend eternity as a security guard?"
Overall Rating: 4/5
Reason: This book is well-written, it is fast-paced so the reader does not get bored. There were virtually no grammatical mistakes or errors. The concept of this book is unique, I have never encountered a book of this nature before. The characters are well described; the reader gets a very good sense of their personalities, and the author does a very good job of building relationships and crossing interactions.
Buy The Second Coming: A Love Story Here
Connect with the author via Twitter @ScottPinsker
www.SecondComingIsHere.com
© C.J. Leger | June 6, 2015
Disclaimer: Excerpts of reviewed books are the property of the author and or publishing firm. This book was reviewed by request of the author. The author and/or publishing firm may quote any aspects of this review for the purpose of promotion and or general social sharing.
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