The Second House from the Corner is part of the African American Genre, but most mothers will relate to Felicia Lyons' struggles with keeping a household running smoothly and trying to re-start a career. A stay-at-home mom, Felicia's life seems unmanageable and it is about to get worse. One phone call brings her carefully hidden past into the limelight and she returns to Philadelphia where she grew up in a poor part of town.
Although frustrated and overwhelmed, Felicia seems to have it all - a husband who provides for his family, friends, a nice home and possibly a jump start on her career. But Felicia doesn't have a strong character and is easily manipulated by her family and friends and most of all by an ex-boyfriend who had seduced her when she was a teenager.
My thoughts: I would like to have seen Felicia stand up for herself and make her own decisions to say "no" rather than let the circumstances and problems fizzle out at the end.
Note: There are a lot of explicit sexual scenes in the novel.
