Second Skin (by Christian White)
I love having an Audible subscription. Second Skin by Christian White is another short story I acquired during one of Audible’s many free offerings. Audiobook narrator Ellen Archer executed a good performance as she told the story of Stan’s tragic loss. While learning how to cope with the grief of his wife, Stan meets Marcy, a single mom trying to understand her nine-year-old daughter, Erin’s, peculiar behaviors.
Erin has begun describing past life memories. Marcy researches spiritual beliefs about reincarnation and seeks consultation from a Buddhist. Erin divulges information that leads everyone to believe she may be the reincarnated spirit of Stan’s late wife. Marcy approaches Stan with this information, and initially, he doesn’t want anything to do with them. As Marcy continues her investigation, buried secrets are revealed that no one can ignore. I was fascinated by the ending.
There were a couple of moments when I felt cautious of where the story was headed. I worried it was going to get tacky or immature. Thankfully, it didn’t! The storyline remained mature and went in interesting directions I didn’t anticipate. I felt engaged the entire time and curious as the story became increasingly suspenseful. I value Buddhist teachings, and I enjoyed the inclusion of this spiritual practice into the story. There is a nod to Stephen King in the story that I enjoyed. The listening length is about four and a half hours, perfect for this short story.
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