Title: Home, Away
Release date: 2010 / 295 pages
Synopsis (from the back cover): How much is a father’s love worth? Jason Thibodeaux has a $42 million contract to pitch for the Colorado Rockies and a romantic bachelor lifestyle when the son he lost in a searing custody battle reappears in his life…
First Sentence: He crushed the Whataburger bag and gripped it tightly in his right hand.
Review: When Chin Music Press contacted me to read and review Home, Away, I agreed thinking it was a primarily a book about baseball. And, on one level it is. However, at its heart, Home, Away is a character study about fatherhood and sacrifice. The protagonist, Jason Thibodeaux, struggled with his detached, complex relationship to his own father until his father’s early demise. So, when he unwittingly becomes a father after a one-night stand, he is determined to be the father he never had. However, complicating matters is a difficult, toxic relationship with Vicki, his son’s mother, and his extraordinary gift as a left-handed pitcher. Throughout the novel, Jason must make difficult decisions and sacrifices, even when they seem little appreciated.
Now, as a baseball fan enjoying the playoffs right now, I did enjoy the sneak peeks into the life of a major league ball player. I also loved the shout-out to Craig Counsell who is one of my favorite Brewers. However, baseba;; is truly secondary in the narrative and even readers who do not care about sports would find a lot to enjoy in this novel.
I did have two minor reservations, however. First, Vicki was too 2-dimensional for my taste. Her inexplicable ire and selfish decisions not only hurt her son, but seemed unlikely even after the worst divorce. The marriage of Jason and Vicki ended as one would expect from two young, 21 year olds who never imagined they would have to forge a family. But Jason’s quandry would have been even more interesting and compelling without the backdrop of “evil Vicki” trying to thwart his every good intention. The premise is fascinating already — how does a man realize his talent and dreams, knowing how precarious and short-lived any professional sports career is, and still have a substantial role in his son’s life.
My other reservation concerns the ending, which was a bit too contrived for my taste. Without spoiling the journey, I will warn you that the ending involves a World Series game with Jason pitching against his son. Now, making it to the Show is so extremely unlikely in the first place, that to have a father-son duel, in the World Series no less, required me to suspend my disbelief a bit too much.
However, and most importantly, these two reservations did not mar my enjoyment of the novel in the least. I quickly devoured it in three days and believe most readers would too.
So, if you interested in winning a copy, simply leave me a comment below and I will choose a winner before the weekend!
This book interests me because I love to explore the impact that a father has on his son. I had terrible childhood experiences with my father that to some extent affect me to this day. As an adult, my husband and I adopted a son and then gave birth to two more sons. He left in the middle of the night and we never saw him again. Eight years later, I married a wonderful man who developed a deep and meaningful relationship with the boys and eventually adopted them. What an impact he has made. Without him, I doubt my boys would have grown into the loving husbands and fathers they are today.
I’d love to win this one…Thanks Kristen!
Renee
I would love to win and read this book. Thanks, Sagil
Another intriguing pick – would love to win this one!
This sounds like the perfect book for our Book Club which is made up mostly of baseball player’s moms. I would LOVE to win and read it.