A Second Chance At Death

A Second Chance at Death follows the life of Troy Kalison, a nineteen-year-old car mechanic who grieves the tragic loss of his mother by becoming something of a second parent to his seventeen-year-old brother, Jamie. On a summer trip to visit their father in Pennsylvania, the boys attempt to finally let go of their beloved mother’s death after about a year. While getting back into the usual swing of things after a fun night at the club, Troy introduces Jamie to the sister of a friend he met and they hit it off instantly. Everything seems to be back to normal, and the boys are noticeably happier. That is—until Jamie dies unexpectedly under Troy’s watch. The family now destroyed again, Troy feels as though his life is over and that he’s ruined any chance of his poor father being happy again. The night of Jamie’s death, Troy receives an unexpected visitor. Death, one of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, appears to offer Troy a deal: If he agrees to complete the tasks of each of the four Horsemen for about a month apiece –Pestilence, Famine, War, and Death, himself—Troy will be allowed to resurrect three people of his choice from the dead. At first unsure about the situation and his sanity, Troy feels ambivalent towards the idea, mainly because he’s unsure of what to expect. However, after convincing himself that this was the right thing to do in order to bring justice to his family, he accepts. The novel follows his journey as he fights against his own morality and realizes that he must first end lives in order to bring them back. Troy undergoes extreme personality changes throughout his treacherous journey. The ideals of morality and love are tossed about inside of Troy's head as he completes the tasks. Bringing controversy to the idea of killing many to save a few—war plays a huge part in modern society, but can play the same way in the mind of a human, such as Troy Kalison, as well.