I don’t quite know what attracted me to “In the Land of Second Chances.” The book revolved around some strange happenings in a small town in Nebraska as narrated by a woman who ran the town’s only bed and breakfast. That didn’t quite match up with my usual diet of coming of age books or men trying desperately to not grow up books.

In the end, I’m glad I read it, but don’t think I will follow up with any future offerings  by George Shaffner, including the book’s sequel. I didn’t intensely dislike the book or the characters, but the pages turned pretty quickly, and I was not sad to finish. That’s because I really didn’t like these people either.

The fact that we know everything about what happens because the narrator is part of a clique of women who spread the word liberally throughout the town made me roll my eyes. The notion that the town of Ebb was a haven for divorced women rebuilding their lives fell flat. The positioning of the traveling salesman, who wasn’t really a salesman, as a redemptive, almost Jesus-like figure pushed me over the edge.

The book really provides a harmless glimpse into the lives of people who think they have it all figured out only to stumble upon someone who forces them to see everything through a different prism. Like I said, Harmless, but not really the best use of my reading time.