No Second Chance

Marc is the protagonist and first-person narrator for most of the novel. He is a plastic surgeon, but his focus is on pediatric reconstructive surgery, often overseas, because he is motivated by interesting cases rather than lucrative ones. He is in his early 30s. Within the year before the narrative starts, he learns his girlfriend Monica is pregnant, marries her, becomes the father to their child Tara, and buys the former Levinsky house in his childhood neighborhood. His new role as a family man interferes with his desire to travel overseas for surgical work, but he loves his daughter dearly. He is less certain about his feelings toward his wife, which contributes to Monica’s unhappiness.

Marc has the confidence and need for control that comes with being a surgeon. This makes the fact that his daughter’s disappearance is out of his control very difficult for him to bear. He often compartmentalizes his emotions in order to focus on rescuing Tara, but this can be to the detriment of those around him who are opening up emotionally, such as Rachel. Marc fluctuates throughout the novel between hope that his daughter is still alive and grief from her sustained absence.