The Second Son
Jonathan Rabb
Set several years after the events of Shadow and Light, The Second
Son concludes the Nikolai Hoffner trilogy. Like its predecessors, the book
places its hero at the center of Europe's interwar troubles, this time taking
place in Nazi-era Germany and revolutionary Spain; like its immediate
predecessor, it tries just a bit too hard to shoehorn a plot into a vibrant
setting. Hoffner remains a vividly drawn protagonist, affected by his prior
adventures and aged not only by the passage of time but also by his sons'
diverging political paths: one is enmeshed in revolutionary Barcelona, while
the other (thought part Jewish) is entranced by- and close to- the rising Nazi
elite. It is this entanglement that provides the novel with its emotional core,
and the brutality of Rabb's plot mirrors that of the historical setting as
Hoffner's life spirals into chaos (alongside much of Europe). This book is more
introspective than the previous Hoffner novels, and as a result Rabb's efforts
to integrate his fictional story with actual historical events are a bit less
clumsy, though there are quite a few convenient encounters and celebrity cameos
that are alternately charming and intrusive. The chronological gap between Shadow and Light and The Second Son also detracts from the
novel's raw power; though Hoffner retains a consistent personality, one feels
that there's quite a bit left unsaid, which draws the reader out of the
narrative and calls attention to the conceit that is always the slightest bit noticeable,
despite Rabb's best efforts. All told, however, The Second Son provides a fitting conclusion to the saga of Nikolai
Hoffner as the Europe he belonged in thrashes
in its death throes.
Grade: B+
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