Second Soul – Thomas Sullivan

Only on rare occasions does a book take its readers absolutely by surprise and sweep them away. Most novels draw the reader in and make him or her a part of the story, but occasionally, as in Thomas Sullivan’s “Second Soul,” the reader becomes incidental – swept to the side and forgotten in the major and minor implications of the story and the intricacies of the characters. The style and grace of Sullivan’s prose is captivating. Snippets and quotes dangle at the fringes of memory and pop back clearly when the page is long turned. As in his earlier novels, “The Phases of Harry Moon,” and “Dust of Eden,” the characters take on life of their own, and you remember them more as acquaintances than as fantasies.

“There are moments when you transcend communication, when you know that five senses and a bunch of grunts can’t contain the universe.”

Michael Bowden Carmichael – Bowie – had an accident while skiing. This description, of course, couldn’t be more inadequate than saying that Noah and his family experienced some rain. Bowie skied out of control and into a waterfall. His temperature dropped to just over 51 degrees, and clinically, he should have died. Simultaneously, a busload of 19 people also smashed out of control into one bank of the river. Bowie saw them, and he saw something else. A hole in the sky. Their faces. A hovering, hungry “something” in the air. Thus it begins.

In “Second Soul,” Sullivan creates a horror novel that transcends. It rises to sit on the shelf beside “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” as a philosophical treatise on the human condition. Both books are told in first person by a man the world finds mad – who might be mad – who might be so much more than just another man.

Archetypal characters intrude. Bowie interacts with nature, the families of those who died in the bus, his friends and his employer, Sam, who runs a ski shop. Everyone from the psychiatrist who fails to be of any assistance at the Mayo clinic to the loving wife of one of the deceased passengers on the bus has a theory about what ails Bowie. A mysterious figure he calls Mr. Freeze knows the truth, but isn’t talking. Bugs hate him; animals hate him, and don’t even get him started about fresh fruit.

In other words, Bowie’s life is hell – or might be. This book will teach you more about philosophy and religion than you care to know, will drag your emotions to the surface and flay them along with those of the protagonist, and I suspect, the author. Bowie loves his children dearly, but is estranged from their mother. He cares for his friends, but he can’t protect them. He begins to love another … and despite his self-denial, is ruled by a high moral standard that is inherent in his character. This is a very personal book, and while that person is Michael Bowden Carmichael, a fictional construct in a novel, it covers ground that might have passed beneath any set of ski boots on the planet.

Still, along with the insight and the literary magic, “Second Soul” manages to be something else entirely. There is drama, page-turning action, violence, and romance. This book can’t be recommended highly enough. It could prove to be a classic of dark fiction.

I have three copies of this for sale, if you are interested. Check the links at the right.