{"product_id":"the-second-life-of-samuel-tyne-isbn-9780060736033","title":"The Second Life of Samuel Tyne","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe first novel from the acclaimed author of \u003cem\u003eWashington Black\u003c\/em\u003e—an exploration of explores the sweep of history, the binds of blood, the challenges of middle age, and the pain of exile, witnessed through the experiences of one family whose hope blinds them to threatening forces that could tear them apart. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is 1968 and Samuel Tyne has lived in exile in the chaotic New World for more than a dozen years. Born in Ghana, educated at Oxford, Samuel was expected to accomplish great things. But the middling government employee fears he has fallen short of that promise. When he inherits a crumbling mansion in the small, provincial town of Aster, Canada, he packs up his protesting family, believing that he has been offered a fabled second chance—and this time, he will not fail.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn all-white enclave that was originally settled by freed slaves and runaways from America, the idyllic Aster feels like a miracle. But as time passes, Samuel begins to see the town is not the haven he hoped: riven by political infighting, a community resistant to change, and most disturbing, a number of mysterious fires that have put the townsfolk on edge. His family, too, begins to splinter. Stubbornly clinging to his ambitious dreams, Samuel finds the successful life he’s struggled to build is disintegrating around him, and a dark current of menace in the town is turned upon his family—that they may be too powerless to fight.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003eA young man of great promise when he emigrated from Ghana by way of Oxford University to the New World in 1955, Samuel Tyne was determined to accomplish significant things. Fifteen years later, now a failed and insignificant government employee, Samuel inherits his uncle's crumbling mansion in Aster, a small town in Canada. 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 to not let it slip away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt 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 to speak and refuse to explain their increasingly threatening behavior, Samuel turns more and more to the refuge of his electronics shop, where he hopes to build one of the country's first advanced computing machines. 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. Written by Edugyan when she was twenty-five, \u003cem\u003eThe Second Life of Samuel Tyne\u003c\/em\u003e is the highly original debut of a gifted writer.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“Both familiar and exotic, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne is...a moving and brilliant novel.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid Adams Richards, author of Mercy Among the Children\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In this brilliantly written debut novel, Edugyan flawlessly creates and maintains a pervasive sense of hope loneliness, foreboding and futility.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBlack Issues Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“An elegant first novel.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChicago Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“It’s hard to believe it’s a first novel...Competent storytelling abilities and deft use of language....A well written book.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A beautifully rendered and haunting look at personal longing and family obligations.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fine writing, subtle characterisation and a convincing portrayal of place and period mark out this engaging first work, reminiscent of early VS Naipaul.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Fine writing...engaging first work, reminiscent of early VS Naipaul.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Edugyan’s language is supple, wry and at turns sensuous. This intricately worked narrative heralds an excellent new voice” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChris Abani, author of GraceLand\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Simultaneously sweeping and intimate, brutal and tender, high-spirited and desolate.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBaltimore Sun\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Written with an assured hand, Edugyan’s graceful narrative belies the underlying menace that permeates her story.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Seattle Skanner\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A provocative thriller.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eEssence\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Amistad","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889105236197,"sku":"NP9780060736033","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780060736033.jpg?v=1730230528","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-second-life-of-samuel-tyne-isbn-9780060736033","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}