The Gods of Second Chances

“With a story as riveting as it is fresh and characters as profound and compelling as the water that surrounds them, Dan Berne’s The Gods of Second Chances is a gorgeous plunge into the depth of the bonds of blood and belief.”
–Rachael Herron, author of Pack Up the Moon

“Every so often a novel comes along that feels like nothing you’ve read before. Dan Berne’s The Gods of Second Chances is one of those, soulful and shattering in equal measure. Berne shines a light on rarely visited corners of both the world and the human heart in a page-turning story that stays with you long after you’ve reached the end. Be prepared to be amazed.”
– Karen Karbo, bestselling author of Julia Child Rules
“With The Gods of Second Chances, Dan Berne has created a world that is immediate and true, tender and tough as nails, with a protagonist, Ray Bancroft, to match. Ray’s struggle to stay afloat, to keep his family safe, is a harrowing one, full of ominous portents, dangerous adversaries, and hard-earned triumphs. Through it all, Berne navigates the treacherous waters of the human heart with a deft but unsparing touch. The Gods of Second Chances is a terrific debut from a talented writer.”
– Rob Yardumian, author of The Sound of Songs Across the Water
“For all the difficult issues Berne’s novel tackles—broken families, financial struggles, missed opportunities to find love, and the way grief and anger can color our memories—there’s plenty to like about this story. Characters are well drawn, the dialogue is sharp, and the story moves along at a fast clip.
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– Linc Bedrosian, National Fisherman
“Can I just say… I loved this book. Rarely have I come across a novel that blends story-telling, drama, and great writing quite as well as The Gods of Second Chances. I confess—I bought this book for my husband, but when he fell asleep, I snagged it, and couldn’t put it down. There are moments of sadness, well-paced reveals, lush landscape description, fantastic and honest character sketches—all the things I look for in a stay-up-all-night read. Also, the book itself is beautiful. You want this one on your shelves.”
– Suzy Vitello, author of The Moment Before
“Second chances abound throughout the story, from Ray raising his granddaughter in a second crack at parenthood to Jenny’s attempts to get clean and Ray’s multiple attempts to date a local therapist. Faith plays a strong thematic role as well, with Ray’s sailor superstitions (the Buddha statue he rubs every time he takes the boat out, and the collection of deity statues he keeps around his home) and the conflict all this creates when his daughter returns as a born-again Christian.”
– Jeff Fleisher, Foreword Reviews
“His debut novel, The Gods of Second Chances, is the story of a man overwhelmed by the things beyond his control: a granddaughter on the verge of adolescence, a daughter returning from prison rehab, a frivolous lawsuit, and falling for the one woman he can’t have, all while trying to fish his living out of a fickle ocean in the mercurial weather of southeast Alaska. It’s no wonder that one god isn’t enough for him.”
– Leigh Anne Kranz, KBOO’s “Between the Covers”
“The Gods of Second Chances is emotionally charged family drama, but it’s never sappy or sentimental—it’s Alaska, where Hilda’s Pharmacy has a selection of birthday and sympathy cards but nothing of the Hallmark variety. You could try faith and forgiveness in a few lines of canned poetry, but it won’t hit anywhere close to home. The Gods of Second Chances is another story.”
– Brian Juenemann, Eugene Register-Guard