The Second Life of Samuel Tyne - Hardcover

Edugyan, Esi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0676976301 ISBN 13: 9780676976304

Publisher: Knopf Canada, 2004

Synopsis

Haunting and atmospheric, this debut novel portrays the heartbreak, hardship and moments of surprising grace in the life of a man struggling to realize his destiny.

A young man of astonishing promise when he emigrated from Ghana in 1955, Samuel Tyne was determined to accomplish great things. Fifteen long years later, he’s an insignificant government employee who hates his job when he unexpectedly inherits his uncle’s crumbling mansion in Aster, Alberta. Despite his wife’s resistance and the sullen complaints of his thirteen-year-old twin daughters, Samuel quits his job and moves his family to the town. For here, he believes, is that fabled second chance, and he is determined not to fail again.

At first, Aster seems perfect -- to Samuel, the formerly all-black town represents the return to a communal, idyllic way of life. But he soon discovers the town’s problems: a history of in-fighting, a strict town council and a series of mysterious fires that put all the townsfolk on edge. When his daughters cease speaking and refuse to explain their increasingly strange behaviour, Samuel turns more and more to the refuge of his electronics shop.

As his ambitions intensify, the life he has struggled so hard to improve begins to disintegrate around him, and a dark current of menace in the town is turned upon the Tyne family.

About this title

Review

"A deftly constructed tale [with a] fiery climax. . . Edugyan's story of one tiny, befuddled corner of the African diaspora is finally about all of us -- about the hope we have of being our best selves, before it's too late."
--"The Globe and Mail
"Psychotic twins, small-town racism and Samuel's struggle for identity [comprise] a truly interesting tale. [A] first novel, bright light. . .to be delved into and pondered."
--"The Times-Colonist (Victoria)
"Powerfully written....It is not surprising her stories should appeal to [Joyce Carol] Oates, because there is a similar feel to their work. Both drag the reader along on journeys they might not take alone, but won't forget, however queasy they might feel afterward."
--"The Hamilton Spectator
"[A] daring, original work....In this remarkably composed novel, Esi Edugyan has conjured up a broth of magic and reality that crosses cultural boundaries. Some things in our experience -- even the petty betrayals and the few exalted moments -- are a mystery, the novel suggests. We go on, and there is no logical explanation for the turning of the seasons. At the end of his second life, that's what the look on Samuel Tyne's face seems to say."
--"The Vancouver Sun
"Her prose style is poised and deeply serious, and it is perfectly suited to a story filled, as this is, withrich layers of plot....It is an unsentimental portrait, and Edugyan confronts this man's destiny with a kind of clarity that he himself only sees in spurts."
--"The Edmonton Journal
"Edugyan describes the complexities of family life in absorbing detail. The first half of the novel holds much promise. The cadenced sentences demand attention, drawingthe reader deep into the resentment and deterioration of the family. ...Edugyan has a strong ability to conjure characters and a sense of place and time. She writes with quiet compassion about Aster's black population and their struggles though small-town stereotypes and expectations."
--"Winnipeg Free Press
..."a work that balances the brilliance an audacity of youthful enthusiasm with sage awareness. It's an impressive debut. ...Edugyan does a fine job building the tension, eliciting a gothic menace that suffuses even the banal of descriptions or conversations. ... The Second Life of Samuel Tyne stands a beautifully written novel of mounting isolation, violence and loss, the legacy of family and of culture, of wisdom hard-won and tragic. It's hard to believe it's a first novel."
--Robert Wiersema, "Toronto Star
"Esi Edugyan has written a moving and brilliant novel. Both familiar and exotic, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne is in some ways a compassionate second chance for us all."
--David Adams Richards
"Prepare to meet Maude and Samuel Tyne, two of the most complex, contradictory, frustrating, appealing, and heart-breaking characters you're likely to find between covers. Prepare to worry about them, cheer for them, defend them, even to love them -- while wanting to knock their heads together or give them a good shake. This husband and wife are so real you think you ought to get to Alberta fast and try to save them from themselves. But first you'd have to save them from their terrifying daughters."
--Jack Hodgins

"From the Hardcover edition.

"A provocative thriller." -- Essence

"An elegant first novel." -- Chicago Tribune

"In this brilliantly written debut novel, Edugyan flawlessly creates and maintains a pervasive sense of hope loneliness, foreboding and futility."--Black Issues Book Review

"A beautifully rendered and haunting look at personal longing and family obligations."--Booklist

"Written with an assured hand, Edugyan's graceful narrative belies the underlying menace that permeates her story."--The Seattle Skanner

"An elegant first novel."--Chicago Tribune

"Simultaneously sweeping and intimate, brutal and tender, high-spirited and desolate."--Baltimore Sun

"It's hard to believe it's a first novel...Competent storytelling abilities and deft use of language....A well written book."--Los Angeles Times

"Fine writing...engaging first work, reminiscent of early VS Naipaul."--The Guardian

"Edugyan's language is supple, wry and at turns sensuous. This intricately worked narrative heralds an excellent new voice"--Chris Abani, author of GraceLand

"Both familiar and exotic, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne is...a moving and brilliant novel."--David Adams Richards, author of Mercy Among the Children

"A provocative thriller."--Essence

Both familiar and exotic, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne is...a moving and brilliant novel. --David Adams Richards, author of Mercy Among the Children"

Edugyan s language is supple, wry and at turns sensuous. This intricately worked narrative heralds an excellent new voice --Chris Abani, author of GraceLand"

It s hard to believe it s a first novel...Competent storytelling abilities and deft use of language....A well written book. --Los Angeles Times"

A beautifully rendered and haunting look at personal longing and family obligations. --Booklist"

Simultaneously sweeping and intimate, brutal and tender, high-spirited and desolate. --Baltimore Sun"

In this brilliantly written debut novel, Edugyan flawlessly creates and maintains a pervasive sense of hope loneliness, foreboding and futility. --Black Issues Book Review"

Written with an assured hand, Edugyan s graceful narrative belies the underlying menace that permeates her story. --The Seattle Skanner"

A provocative thriller. --Essence"

An elegant first novel. --Chicago Tribune"

Fine writing...engaging first work, reminiscent of early VS Naipaul. --The Guardian"

Book Description

If you can't trust your own family, who can you trust?

About this edition

• Publisher: Knopf Canada
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0676976301
• ISBN 13: 9780676976304
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336