Review of Second Chances by Lincoln Cole.
This is a well-written novel that explores the injustice that plagues our lives, both out there where we can see them, and lurking within. The injustice of social class and the spread between the wealthy and the poor is just one level of the exploration. Richard is a lawyer, who accepts a girl, Nichole from an racially mixed background as an intern at his law firm. She is studying to become a Lawyer. His wife Deborah points out that the choice of the intern should benefit both the firm and the intern. Nicole’s mother LaKeisha is white, and we see the dynamic of a growing ruinous situation, from the beginning when we witness a tempestuous Town Hall meeting about Busing of dark-skinned children to an all-white school. The novel takes place in the present time, when metal scanners are mentioned, and that surprised me. Busing is not mentioned much in the press these days, but racial prejudice is with us, and desegregation has been overturned in certain school districts. We know that. When LaKeisha leaves her children Kenni, the youngest, Tyler, Nichole and Rico, the oldest boy who is about to be married, Nichole has to become the ‘mother’ of the family. She doesn’t go back for the new college term, a situation that would end her internship, and gradually we see that her reluctance to ask Richard for help or advice causes problems for both of them. There’s a divide of awareness here. Richard went into Law to ‘make a difference’, but circumstance has made him a Corporate Lawyer. His wife Deborah characterizes the situation as being ‘Guilty until proven rich’. Nichole takes over new responsibilities suddenly. We know that Lakeusha has been robbed and she’s sick. Four months go by, and LaKeisha doesn’t turn up. We finally learn that LaKeisha died quickly from advanced Breast Cancer. Richard has a brother, Jason , a brother that he rarely sees because Jason’s life has been problematic. One night Richard attends an AA meeting that his brother has been running at his brother’s clinic. At this point he’s been fully apprised of Nichole’s situation, and now knows that his brother’s clinic is going to be shut down. The clincher for me was when he met Ben an alcoholic who has benefitted from attending his brother Jason’s clinic. Ben relates his problems to Richard…another ruinous situation that started with his sister’s rape Perhaps Richard sees that his brother, Jason despite a problematic background is finally doing what Richard had thought that would do as a Lawyer…help people. Everyone has a story, and these days we don’t get the full story of anyone from the media. The author shows us who these people are and how they have arrived at the present point in their lives. He shows us how they can possibly help one another, but he also reveals the obstacles to that…the differences in personality, attitudes, in the modern world where so many have so little and so few have wealth. This is a book about doing the right thing in a world of poverty, racial tensions, addictions, financial disasters, high medical bills and a society that has gotten out of focus. Lincoln Cole is a brilliant writer who makes us feel and understand the characters and their motivations. I’ve read another of his novels and his brilliance continues to shine through! (Review by Howard Lipman, pen name PanOrphbeus, author of the fantasy fiction alternate history ‘Delphic Oracle ‘ books and the ‘Mage and the Source’ series of Science Fiction>Steampunk novels that include ‘Songs and stories from Tesla’s Tower.
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