The Second History ARC Review

The Second History by Rebecca Silver Slayter

Pub. Date: April 20, 2021

Dystopian, speculative fiction, Canadian lit.

Spoiler-free

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Canada for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’m excited to be reviewing The Second History not only for the well-executed concept, but also to support a local author!

The Second History tells the story of Eban and Judy as they leave their wilderness camp in search of a far off community. On their journey, they hope to find answers to questions about their world that their parents never answered. The story also explores Eban’s and Judy’s complicated love for one another and the importance of human connection. 

One of the strongest elements of the novel was Silver Slayter’s worldbuilding. The Second History takes place in a post-apocalyptic landscape where climate change affects all aspects of living. I love that the setting acts as an antagonist, at times making Eban’s and Judy’s journey incredibly difficult. While this is not a world that I’d ever want to live in, it was a world that felt completely believable and real.

The book has a strong start and is guaranteed to grab your attention. While the second half of The Second History did feel like it dragged a bit, I never felt like I wanted to stop reading and DNF.  

The Second History examines the nature of civilizations and how difficult survival is in an unstable world. Silver Slayter delved into what it means to be a community and family in a way that can only be described as impressive. I equally enjoyed following Judy and Eban and how each character offers a different, at times contrasting, perspective on their world. 

The ambiguousness of The Second History is another element that I really enjoyed and thought was well-executed. Silver Slayter’s choice of third person narration presents enough information about the world, protagonists, and secondary characters for them to all feel fleshed out while still leaving enough for readers to interpret. I honestly can’t wait for others to read and talk about this book because there are elements to The Second History that I’m still thinking about long after I’ve finished.

Rating 4/5: Silver Slayter’s The Second History is an extremely relevant and captivating novel that explores life, love and survival in a world destroyed by climate change. This book should be next on your 2021 reading list.