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A review by whativebeanreading
The Cactus League by Emily Nemens
4.0
This debut novel is bound to delight baseball fans, as it did me. But its wonderfully funny and poignant dive into the Spring Training ecosystem should find a wider audience.
Almost all of the action is off the field.
The novel’s interrelated stories center loosely on star outfielder, Jason Goodyear, whose gambling addiction threatens to swamp his career along with his Nike endorsement. But he’s not the only one striving for fame and fortune or clinging tenuously to it.
There is the once-promising pitcher hiding an elbow injury to stave off a younger, harder-throwing prospect. (Baseball players over 30 are usually viewed as on the downside of their careers.) There are the cougars stalking the local bars. The players’ wives who barely see their husbands and know they will see them less when the season starts. The agent desperately trying to steer rich, talented young men toward responsible behavior. The vengeful owner who trades a star player in a pique of anger. The high school draft pick far from home, who is ill-equipped to manage either his crushing loneliness or his six-figure bonus.
The characters are a bit broadly drawn - baseball has always invited allegory - though Emily Nemens’s vivid writing and obvious love for the game propel the story forward.
I was an easy mark for this book, which Nemens dedicated simply: “For Dad.”
If the charms of baseball have somehow eluded you, this is a good place to start.
Almost all of the action is off the field.
The novel’s interrelated stories center loosely on star outfielder, Jason Goodyear, whose gambling addiction threatens to swamp his career along with his Nike endorsement. But he’s not the only one striving for fame and fortune or clinging tenuously to it.
There is the once-promising pitcher hiding an elbow injury to stave off a younger, harder-throwing prospect. (Baseball players over 30 are usually viewed as on the downside of their careers.) There are the cougars stalking the local bars. The players’ wives who barely see their husbands and know they will see them less when the season starts. The agent desperately trying to steer rich, talented young men toward responsible behavior. The vengeful owner who trades a star player in a pique of anger. The high school draft pick far from home, who is ill-equipped to manage either his crushing loneliness or his six-figure bonus.
The characters are a bit broadly drawn - baseball has always invited allegory - though Emily Nemens’s vivid writing and obvious love for the game propel the story forward.
I was an easy mark for this book, which Nemens dedicated simply: “For Dad.”
If the charms of baseball have somehow eluded you, this is a good place to start.