Book Review of Second Best by David Foenkinos trans by Megan Jones

Name of Book: Second Best 

Author: David Foenkinos (tanslated by Megan Jones) 

ISBN: 978-1-913547-59-2

Publisher: Gallic 

Type of book: France, England, 1999-2019, Harry Potter, J.K Rowling, movies, decisions, comedy/tragedy, surviving, trauma, travel, acting, beyond control 

Year it was published: 2023 (2022 in France) 

Summary:

A magical imagining of the fate of a fictional boy whose life is shaped forever when he loses out on the role of Harry Potter. It's 1999. Martin Hill is ten years old, crazy about Arsenal and has a minor crush on a girl named Betty. Then he makes it to the final two in the casting for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone .  In the end, the other boy is picked for the role of a lifetime. A devastated Martin tries to move on with his life. But how can he escape his failure, especially when it's the most famous film series in the world?  Foenkinos’s smash-hit Second Best is a playful, poignant story about fate, loss and how the lives we wish we’d led might not be all they’re cracked up to be . . .

This is the English translation of Numéro deux,

published by Gallimard on January 6, 2022

Characters:

Main character is Martin Hill,  a ten year old boy and a potential actor who might star in Harry Potter movies. Martin Hill is definitely talented and while at first careless, he does begin to take the process seriously. There are also Martin's parents; Jeanne and John: Jeanne is an ambitious and talented woman who wants more from life and is determined to get it, while John also wants more from life, he seems to fail at a lot of ventures he attempts. Aside from Martin Hill and his parents, other characters didn't really play a big role. 

Theme:

Is grass greener on the other side?

Plot:

The story is in third person narrative from what seems to be everyone's point of view, although the primary speaker is Martin Hill, a half British half French boy who should have been the next Harry Potter. There is definitely believable and excellent research as well as history going into the tale, having me believe that perhaps Martin Hill is real. The story itself takes place in 1999, examining the forces behind Harry Potter's popularity as well as the behind the scenes of movie production. After the major event, the novel begins to move quickly, going past years until late 2010s (possibly 2019) as Martin tries and fails to make peace with this event. From time to time the author does give the reader point of view of other characters such as producers or Martin's parents and of how these events possibly unfolded. 

Author Information:
(From goodreads)

David Foenkinos (born 28 October 1974) is a French author and screenwriter. He studied literature and music in Paris. His novel La délicatesse is a bestseller in France.A film based on the book was released in December 2011, with Audrey Tautou as the main character.

Opinion:

While reading the story, I really did wonder how much of it was made up and how much of it was real? Obviously the Harry Potter and Daniel Radcliffe were the real parts, but how real is Martin Hill? With slight humor as well as a lesson of how grass isn't greener on the other side, SECOND BEST is a gentle reminder that while events that happen to us may be random, perhaps they might be for the best, even when we might be experiencing extremely painful reminders of them. There is definitely a lot of research included in the story from Harry Potter stories and movies to how things were back in 1990s and later on 2000s. The history and fiction definitely feel seamless as if this is a true story. 

This was given for review

4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)