The Second Chance Cinema
Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me the opportunity to be an early reader of a digital review copy. This one hit shelves on October 7th.
Drake and Ellie are getting married next year. Drake is in construction, while Ellie is a successful writer who has also had a television series (that was, admittedly, a bit of a flop). She writes about hidden gems in such a detailed and transporting way that her work has saved the life of several businesses, bars, restaurants, and shops. When she and Drake take a detour one night down a cobblestone street, they happen upon an old-timey cinema featuring one film: “The Story of You.” Inside, their own memories starting at childhood begin to play. What is this magical place and can Ellie and Drake handle long held secrets being revealed?
This one was slow building and it took me a while to get into it. The concept was perfect for my taste with a heavy emphasis on grief and more than a small hint of magical realism in the cinema. As Drake and Ellie’s respective pasts are revealed throughout their 10 visits to the theatre, though, I had to suspend my disbelief a bit because it was difficult to imagine an engaged couple withholding this much from one another.
This book was a true case study in miscommunication, but the characters were self-aware about it and one even says close to the end something like, “the cinema made us honest, didn’t it?” There was so much Drake and Ellie didn’t tell one another, ways they still functioned as strangers despite being in love and on the path to lifelong commitment.
The book builds up toward two major memories, one in each of their lives that could change everything about their relationship. But Ellie and Drake have come up with a sort-of “stays in Vegas” set of rules for themselves and choose not to discuss what they see. This was frustrating at times and I wanted to understand more of their interior lives and thoughts. The characters felt a bit distant for me as a reader, I think because it’s written in third-person perspective. In the end though, I actually felt that POV choice was an effective one.
This feeling of emotional distance early on in the novel and some of the pacing kept this from being a 5-star read for me. But once Ellie and Drake decide to “burn the rules” the plot and their communication starts cooking. There’s something pretty special about how the events from that point forward play out and I got a bit misty-eyed several times.
Overall, this was a lovely debut with a dose of humor, charm, and realistic grief that I would definitely recommend!
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Scenes are very vague and not specific.
This book is available through Book of the Month Club. Join with my referral link, and get your first monthly selection for $5. Then add this one to your box for $11.99.
