I read this because a family member remembers it fondly from youth.
I knew it wasn’t my genre, but man. I am about to post so many spoilers in this so I can air all of my grievances.
I knew when they introduced a dog that it was going to die. The author seemed to construct every scene with that damn dog like he was giddily hurrying to get to describe its brutal strangulation. And for what?? Not even a particularly effective impact on the plot.
The psychotic child in this book has some kind of godlike omnipotence to be able to precisely and accurately guess everyone else’s thoughts and motivations and actions. So many of her plans only work because the author wants them to.
I hated Teri and Phyllis (I know I was supposed to) but then I got no satisfying conclusion to them, nor ever truly understood their motivations outside of “I want to live in this house and be wealthy.” Hello??
And is the ending meant to imply that Phyllis is the reason Teri is fucked up? Is she somehow cursing these babies?
The ghost device is under utilized and nearly nonsensical. Would have been better if she just actually WAS a split personality.
Does every scene that makes a character puke HAVE to be described as their “gorge” rising?
Does every character have the memory and reason and empathy of a gold fish?
Does being present for a car crash make you guilty of it?
This man has no idea how to describe fashion but attempts to do so often. The dialogue is so unlike how any real people actually speak to each other.
I don’t like this writing style. I don’t like this genre. It only gets 2 stars because I know someone who loves it and because there are moments here and there where psychological/emotional abuse feels resonant in a correct way.
But having just read Mommie Dearest, it’s like John Saul took his favorite parts of the Crawford story and weaved them into this one.
Ugh.

3.5 Stars
It was a fine book with good suspense and some decent thrills, but the resolution felt a bit rushed and overall underwhelming.

I was honestly hoping for there to be more consequences and more spookiness in general. Yet, I did enjoy it and found myself not being able to put it down at times.

This book was great! The plot was wonderful, and the characters were awesome. I reccomend this book to everyone.....it'll be worth your time!

Diesel engines usually take a while to warm up, but once they are at full steam those things will run for hours on end; which is similar to John Saul's writing, or more so this book Second Child. I wouldn't say there was a moment where I thought this book would be a slog to get through. It starts off with a blaze. . . but around the middle it kinda ploughs along, with way too much telling, instead of showing.

Actually, Saul's writing is nice. I'm not trying to give an overused complaint (show don't tell!), because the characters are interesting and they remain that way throughout the book. If I were his editor though, I might've gone about hacking some chunks out here and there, tossing what I could from front to back - but then again, I'm not an award winning editor, nor am I or was I selling nearly as many books as Saul did, or has over his lifetime. So, if it were my personal preference, I would've slashed a good many paragraphs and let the readers pick up on many of the implications themselves.

I also felt it was too bad there wasn't more pandemonium. Saul set up the perfect stage to have this novel turn into a vicious blood bath, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Same with D'Arcy, he could've done some creepy stuff with that storyline, and played the whole thing up to a much grander scale. But we don't get that. Which is okay.

The novel is nice. It's enjoyable. And if you're considering Saul or have never read him before, this would be a good place to start.

PHENOMENAL... A must read for horror fans

Woah. That was a very solid read but difficult at times. Melissa just kept taking losses. The different reveals were fun. Gruesome at times. Teri was a real piece of shit. Followed closely by the Melissa's mom. Be interested to see what Melissa's mom does with that new family. The dad was chill. The dog part was crazy. Did not see that coming. John Saul's writing isn't perfect but he has very strong story telling skills. Enjoyed this one. Will read more from him after the three I've read.

These books are getting a bit repetitive.

Novela de terror psicológico de 367 páginas, publicada en 1990, en la que una niña sufre maltrato psicológico por parte de su madre. Conoce entonces a su hermanastra, dos años mayor que ella, y una verdadera psicópata. La niña protagonista solo tendrá apoyo de su padre, que se encuentra la mayor parte del tiempo en viajes de trabajo.
Si a esta agobiante premisa, añadimos maltrato animal, ya podéis imaginar lo que he sufrido esta novela. Solo la recomiendo para amantes incondicionales del autor.

I love a good ghost story, and I love a good John Saul novel. His books might be a bit more simplistic, a bit less terrifying than other authors, but I always have the sense when I finish one that I've just read a well written story.

This ghost story is an echo of one you've heard before. A terrifying event happens in the past and becomes legend. Everyone grows up knowing the story and waiting for the moment the ghost comes back.

But where this story emerges into its own is the characters. There is more than one villain. In fact, some could argue that most are villains. There is more than one victim. There is more than one twist and turn in this ghost story.

And there is more than one way to interpret the name Second Child. But that would spoil everything, so let's debate that after you've read it!

I've read a handful of his books over the years - I even used to be in his fan club in the 90s when I devoured the five or so of his books at my local library - and I think this might be my favorite Saul book yet.

I couldn't get past the second chapter. I took a long break from John Saul, but it didn't do me well. You can immediately tell it's the same as the other books with one annoying character you can't stand, and will end with some "you wouldn't believe it" plot twist. Not worth my time at the moment

This is not my favourite genre of books but it was a very well written and fast paced novel. A bit too creepy for me. The story starts out with a horrible fire where only one family member makes it out. Tery McIver is then moved to live with her natural father in Maine, where she has a half sister and a new step mom. Strange things start to happen in Maplecrest, the Holloways summer home. Then there is the old story of a young women who haunts the town. Tery pretends she is her half sisters best friend and protector, but she has plans of her own that don't include Melissa. Excellent reading