Season 4 Reading Series: Garth Risk Hallberg on the Power of Music in His New Novel, ‘The Second Coming’
Garth Risk Hallberg
Garth Risk Hallberg/Photo by Chris Eichler
Garth Risk Hallberg's first novel, ‘City on Fire’, was a ‘New York Times’ and international bestseller, and has been translated into 17 languages, and was named one of the best books of 2015 by ‘The Washington Post’, ‘Los Angeles Times’, ‘San Francisco Chronicle’, ‘The Wall Street Journal’, NPR, and ‘Vogue’. He is also the author of a novella, ‘A Field Guide to the North American Family’. His short stories have appeared in ‘Prairie Schooner’, ‘Glimmer Train’, and ‘Best New American Voices 2008’, and he has written critical essays for ‘The New York Times Book Review’, ‘The Guardian’, ‘The Millions’, and ‘Slate’. He is also a two-time finalist for the National Book Critics Circle's award for Excellence in Reviewing.
‘The Second Coming’ was published by Knopf in May 2024.
About the Episode
Garth Risk Hallberg/Photo by Mark Vessey
EPISODE SUMMARY:
In this first installment of the Rock is Lit Season 4 Reading Series, Garth Risk Hallberg introduces us to his latest novel, ‘The Second Coming’, reading a powerful excerpt and shedding light on the book's evolution. He shares insights into how music, especially the music of Prince, is woven into the narrative and why it plays such a pivotal role.
Set in the spring of 2011, ‘The Second Coming’ follows thirteen-year-old Jolie Aspern, who narrowly escapes a subway accident after trying to retrieve her phone. Her estranged father, Ethan—an ex-convict and recovering addict living in California—learns of the incident and believes something deeper is at play. Convinced that only he can save her, Ethan returns to New York.
The novel explores the fraught journey of father and daughter, both separately and together, from Manhattan during the Great Recession to a beach on Maryland's Eastern Shore. As their paths intertwine, Jolie encounters a mysterious stranger, while Ethan is pulled back into the life of Jolie’s mother—his first love.
Catch Garth on Season 2 EP28 of Rock is Lit, where we discuss his 2015 novel, ‘City on Fire’, which had just been made into an Apple TV+ series: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislitpodcast/garthriskhallberg
MUSIC IN THE EPISODE IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:
Rock is Lit theme music
[Guitar Instrumental Beat] Sad Rock [Free Use Music] Punch Deck—“I Can’t Stop”
“Sexuality” by Prince
“Purple Rain” by Prince
“When Doves Cry” by Prince
[Guitar Instrumental Beat] Sad Rock [Free Use Music] Punch Deck—“I Can’t Stop”
Rock is Lit theme music
LINKS:
Leave a rating and comment for Rock is Lit on Goodpods: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/rock-is-lit-212451
Leave a rating and comment for Rock is Lit on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rock-is-lit/id1642987350
Garth Risk Hallberg info: https://www.garthriskhallbergbooks.com/
Rock is Lit on Instagram: @rockislitpodcast
