Told as a narration through Andy’s voice throughout, the reader gets inside this troubled teen’s head as we hear his thoughts and feelings on the occasional joy and frequent turmoil that surrounds him. The short, choppy style of writing lends itself to this inner conversation idea; Andy’s thoughts spill onto the page in the same way they would flash into his mind.
Similarly, there is a large amount of conversation and dialogue within the text which creates a nice flow to each chapter without too much spurious waffle. It is the dialogue and Andy’s inner thoughts which move the story along, which is a pleasing style. The short sentences also add to the oncoming denouement in the final chapters which ratchets up the drama as the climax builds over the last few games of baseball.
But it is overall narrative where I found a little too much predictability at times. There are several twists which I didn’t see coming that kept me on my toes, but the overall narrative is slightly clichéd. Downtrodden kid is cut from the team, ridiculed, has the world against him, gets back in the team, then out again. Will he be back for the season’s climax? I knew the answer to that for most of the story.
And yet that didn’t take away from the enjoyment, as there is a lot more to the book than that, with the deeply personal touch of being inside Andy’s head. The manner of Andy’s return was more of a surprise though, and there are some very moving sections as he, Daniel and their family progress through the year. Carman does a great job of building the drama, which in view of my comments on the overall narrative is particularly impressive. I may have seen some of what was coming, though certainly not all, but the way the story built was very well done.
By focusing solely on Andy, we don’t get to know any of the other characters in real depth as everything is shown through Andy’s thoughts, but it is an approach that makes it a far more personal experience when reading. Moments of joy and moments of sadness feel shared with the chief protagonist; Carman creating a genuine affection between the reader and Andy.
This story may be set in baseball, but as much as that sport plays a central role it is as much about overcoming the doubts of his father, his coach and his peers, while simultaneously overcoming deep personal issues. The two struggles continue in parallel as the year progresses.
- Aidan Williams www.thesportsbookreview.com
Publisher - Elephant's Bookshelf Press
Date of Publication - 27th March 2014