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106 reviews for:
Second House from the Corner: A Novel of Marriage, Secrets, and Lies
Sadeqa Johnson
3.64 AVERAGE
106 reviews for:
Second House from the Corner: A Novel of Marriage, Secrets, and Lies
Sadeqa Johnson
3.64 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Big spoilers but also trigger warnings for the whole book
I can’t get over that this entire book is based on a “relationship” from her past that is actually statutory rape. She was 15, the guy was double her age. That NEVER is addressed, and is really messed up. I don’t like how normalized that was. There was also a racial slur used very casually to describe a friends eye makeup, and there was a lot of anti-“ghetto” sentiment AND an entire part that blamed a lot of poverty/single parenting in the Black community on welfare. In all, this book made me pretty uncomfortable in a lot of ways and did not really redeem itself.
Felicia has almost just the life she always dreamed of - 3 kids, an amazing husband, an up-and-coming suburban life. She wants to get back to her acting career, and it seems like she might have some opportunities for coming her way. And then her first love gets out of prison and starts calling her, and her old best friend from back in the neighborhood starts blackmailing her with telling her husband about her past in order, and everything starts falling apart. She has to go home to Philly to start trying to piece things back together.
I...was not a fan. I didn't find the character motivations - or reactions - believable.I did LOVE her grandmother, and the flashbacks to her childhood that involved her mother. Seriously, Gran was an amazing character. And Felicia's very honest frustrations with being a mother - loving her kids to bits but wanting to murder them at least half the time - were refreshing. But I got so frustrated with basically everything else.
I...was not a fan. I didn't find the character motivations - or reactions - believable.
Spoiler
I could not believe that a strong, independent, sassy woman like Felicia would have so little willpower that she couldn't tell the man who statutory raped her when she was 14, got her pregnant at 15, and ignored her after she got pregnant and had the baby to FUCK OFF and hang up the phone on him, from the start. That she was so terrified of telling her husband that she had a sexual relationship a decade before she even met him. That her husband got so furious about that fact that he kicked her out of the house and told her he couldn't trust her with his kids. That she couldn't keep herself from screwing the asshole who caused this shit in the first place. That the BIG SECRET kept from the reader until the end was just that the baby died.
This book had me up at night reading it. It mirrored my younger days. WOW! I felt all of it!
This is my second book by this author, and I think I'm starting to get her. She seems to gravitate toward the theme of how external perfection and the people who pursue it are sometimes masking deep pain and trauma. And about how the pursuit of perfection can be distancing in some ways, keeping you at arms' length from the people who are seeking to get closer to you. And I have to say, that's a theme I could read about over and over, and over again. If she stays that course, I will follow her on it.
In 'Second House from the Corner' we meet Felicia, who her husband affectionately calls 'Foxy'. She's a stay-at-home Mom, sometimes-actress who is juggling three kids and a husband whose love, she believes, is very much tied to his image of them as the ideal suburban family. But then the past waltzes into Felicia's life and she is forced to face the fact that much of the woman she is today is built around hiding the girl she was a long time ago, growing up on the mean streets of Philadelphia, and making choices that altered the course of her life.
I loved, as I did in 'And Then There Was Me' that Sadeqa Johnson writes the details of domestic life with such a great eye and ear for what it's really like. At times, I felt it was belabored at the expense of moving the story along, and I wanted to scream, 'Okay, I get it! She's bored and somewhat unfulfilled as a stay-at-home Mom!' I didn't need the details of every single time the kids had a meal and she had to clean up their messes. Then again, perhaps the tedium of those details were a device to communicate the tedium of Felicia's routine.
Still, back to what I loved: the fact that much of the story happens in Felicia's emotions and memories made me feel like I knew her; and her character--as exasperating as she was, as maddening as some of the things she did were--was real to me. But as was the case in 'And Then There Was Me', I felt like the author got tripped up a little in trying to add plot turns. I can't decide whether this is just a matter of taste (in that I don't care if 'things happen' in books), and thus an unfair criticism, but I didn't need all the drama, particularly that which surrounded the return of her childhood best friend. It detracted, rather than added to the main event, which for me was Felicia's revisiting of the past in order to be authentic in her present and future.
There were moments when I wondered whether Felicia would have learned anything, or changed from the beginning of the novel to the end, but she did, and ultimately seeing her transformation was satisfying. I recommend this book.
In 'Second House from the Corner' we meet Felicia, who her husband affectionately calls 'Foxy'. She's a stay-at-home Mom, sometimes-actress who is juggling three kids and a husband whose love, she believes, is very much tied to his image of them as the ideal suburban family. But then the past waltzes into Felicia's life and she is forced to face the fact that much of the woman she is today is built around hiding the girl she was a long time ago, growing up on the mean streets of Philadelphia, and making choices that altered the course of her life.
I loved, as I did in 'And Then There Was Me' that Sadeqa Johnson writes the details of domestic life with such a great eye and ear for what it's really like. At times, I felt it was belabored at the expense of moving the story along, and I wanted to scream, 'Okay, I get it! She's bored and somewhat unfulfilled as a stay-at-home Mom!' I didn't need the details of every single time the kids had a meal and she had to clean up their messes. Then again, perhaps the tedium of those details were a device to communicate the tedium of Felicia's routine.
Still, back to what I loved: the fact that much of the story happens in Felicia's emotions and memories made me feel like I knew her; and her character--as exasperating as she was, as maddening as some of the things she did were--was real to me. But as was the case in 'And Then There Was Me', I felt like the author got tripped up a little in trying to add plot turns. I can't decide whether this is just a matter of taste (in that I don't care if 'things happen' in books), and thus an unfair criticism, but I didn't need all the drama, particularly that which surrounded the return of her childhood best friend. It detracted, rather than added to the main event, which for me was Felicia's revisiting of the past in order to be authentic in her present and future.
There were moments when I wondered whether Felicia would have learned anything, or changed from the beginning of the novel to the end, but she did, and ultimately seeing her transformation was satisfying. I recommend this book.
This book doesn't come out till February, so I don't want to post too many specifics yet. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy from Edelweiss. I really enjoyed it; there were a few things I was frustrated about regarding plot and characterization, but the main character's voice is so engaging and her journey so real that I was willing to overlook a few minor things.
The story in the book could have been maybe 100 pages longer no more than 150. It was a lot of fluff. I skimmed through this most of the book and still enjoyed the little bit I read. Didn't even feel like I missed anything either which is why I said this book could be shorter. The essences of this book is good but it was long winded.
Foxy past was not that big of a deal to keep something hide from her husband. I get she was a shame of it but really. Then he was going to leave because of it. Are you for real.
OH well
Foxy past was not that big of a deal to keep something hide from her husband. I get she was a shame of it but really. Then he was going to leave because of it. Are you for real.
OH well
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
sad
tense
Felicia Hayes is an actress turned stay-at-home mom with three little children and a husband who has her on a tight leash. As much as Felicia loves her children, sometimes motherhood is exhausting, and she wishes she could just get away. Well, be careful what you wish for. A figure from Felicia’s past, whom she wanted to forget, gives her a call, and suddenly Felicia is out the door, accompanied by memories she wanted to stay buried. Felicia can no longer pretend that her past doesn’t exist, but who does that mean she is now?
Pros:
•This book had all the makings of a good book- the writing is solid, the characters are flawed, the pace is easy.
Cons:
•BUT unfortunately, I constantly wanted to rip this book into shreds every time I picked it up. There are small things, like detailed a bunch of detailed sex scenes that I didn’t need.
•The men in this book are HORRIBLE, and maybe this was an intentional choice by the author, but it seems like neither Felicia nor the author really understood that. Martin, at age 28, took advantage of a 15-year-old…hi everyone, I understand that Felicia thought she wanted it, but children can’t consent so that is RAPE. Felicia acts as if he’s a deadbeat boyfriend from her past, not someone who took advantage of a child and caused her a lot of pain. Meanwhile, Preston is apparently excused for his behavior because of his money, but he’s emotionally abusive (or in the very least, unable to communicate well with his wife) and also throws a hissy fit, without giving Felicia a chance to explain anything, primarily because he thought she was a virgin when he met her….um PRO TIP @all men, if a woman doesn’t want to tell you her sexual history, it MIGHT be because it’s traumatic. RESPECT IT.
•After being treated totally unfairly by all these men and thinking she deserves it, Felicia turns around and treats Crystal with the same disrespect that Preston gives her. She judges Crystal harshly for her clothes, her taste in music, and for things that happened to her that were weirdly similar to what happened to Felicia. Gran and Felicia chalk it up to the fact that Crystal is “crazy”, which was disappointing. Crystal and Felicia both had a lot going in on their past, but instead of getting to explore how it impacts them, Crystal is declared crazy, and Felicia “moves on”. What a waste of an opportunity for a character study.
•The reader can’t follow why Felicia makes any of her decisions, especially those related to the men. I understood why she was drawn to Martin as a kid, but what’s his hold on her now? This lack of development (in favor of what? More graphic sex?) made Felicia’s decisions seems nonsensical and frustrating. Her decisions at the end felt weird too, and it didn’t seem like she learned any lessons.
Recommendation: I guess I recommend if you’re looking for a women’s fiction book with good writing, if you’re okay with graphic sex scenes, terrible men, and many infuriating moments. This is a weird one for me, because the book seemed like it could have been a great book about a tired mom, and it turned into a frustrating mess of a book about a woman who doesn’t understand what healthy relationships are and maybe won’t ever learn? The good news is that the kids are cute. I imagine that some other readers would either like the unexpected negative twist on this story (maybe giving the author more credit on her intentionality) or not notice it. I would consider reading more by this author, but was not enthralled by this one.
Pros:
•This book had all the makings of a good book- the writing is solid, the characters are flawed, the pace is easy.
Cons:
•BUT unfortunately, I constantly wanted to rip this book into shreds every time I picked it up. There are small things, like detailed a bunch of detailed sex scenes that I didn’t need.
•The men in this book are HORRIBLE, and maybe this was an intentional choice by the author, but it seems like neither Felicia nor the author really understood that. Martin, at age 28, took advantage of a 15-year-old…hi everyone, I understand that Felicia thought she wanted it, but children can’t consent so that is RAPE. Felicia acts as if he’s a deadbeat boyfriend from her past, not someone who took advantage of a child and caused her a lot of pain. Meanwhile, Preston is apparently excused for his behavior because of his money, but he’s emotionally abusive (or in the very least, unable to communicate well with his wife) and also throws a hissy fit, without giving Felicia a chance to explain anything, primarily because he thought she was a virgin when he met her….um PRO TIP @all men, if a woman doesn’t want to tell you her sexual history, it MIGHT be because it’s traumatic. RESPECT IT.
•After being treated totally unfairly by all these men and thinking she deserves it, Felicia turns around and treats Crystal with the same disrespect that Preston gives her. She judges Crystal harshly for her clothes, her taste in music, and for things that happened to her that were weirdly similar to what happened to Felicia. Gran and Felicia chalk it up to the fact that Crystal is “crazy”, which was disappointing. Crystal and Felicia both had a lot going in on their past, but instead of getting to explore how it impacts them, Crystal is declared crazy, and Felicia “moves on”. What a waste of an opportunity for a character study.
•The reader can’t follow why Felicia makes any of her decisions, especially those related to the men. I understood why she was drawn to Martin as a kid, but what’s his hold on her now? This lack of development (in favor of what? More graphic sex?) made Felicia’s decisions seems nonsensical and frustrating. Her decisions at the end felt weird too, and it didn’t seem like she learned any lessons.
Recommendation: I guess I recommend if you’re looking for a women’s fiction book with good writing, if you’re okay with graphic sex scenes, terrible men, and many infuriating moments. This is a weird one for me, because the book seemed like it could have been a great book about a tired mom, and it turned into a frustrating mess of a book about a woman who doesn’t understand what healthy relationships are and maybe won’t ever learn? The good news is that the kids are cute. I imagine that some other readers would either like the unexpected negative twist on this story (maybe giving the author more credit on her intentionality) or not notice it. I would consider reading more by this author, but was not enthralled by this one.
This book was so slow. It had some good parts, but overall it was quite dull. Nothing really happened, there was no plot. I liked all of the characters we were introduced to, that's what kept me reading.
I don't really know how to describe this book. The main character is a woman, mother and wife, that left her past behind and created a new life. It seems like she has a mental illness, because we as readers are let in on a "voice" that tries to rationalize certain actions.
I don't really know how to describe this book. The main character is a woman, mother and wife, that left her past behind and created a new life. It seems like she has a mental illness, because we as readers are let in on a "voice" that tries to rationalize certain actions.