Past the Bleachers (Paperback)

~ Christopher A. Bohjalian (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this accomplished third novel by the author of Hangman , narrator Bill Parrish and his wife, Harper, have lost their only child, Nathaniel, age 10, to acute lymphocytic leukemia. Searching for a way to deal with his grief, Bill agrees to coach the Little League team that Nathaniel would have played for had he lived to see another summer. Among his young charges is Lucky Diamond, a mute child with a mysterious background. Like Nathaniel, Lucky is a gifted natural athlete with a sweet smile. Gradually, Bill finds himself drawn into Lucky's mystery--a father no one has ever seen, school records that can't be found, a series of sinister accidents that point to Lucky as the possessor of strange powers. Indeed, as the book progresses one fears that Bohjalian will cheapen its very real insights into grief with a faux -Stephen King supernatural plot, but he is a better writer than that. The book's final revelations, while a trifle mechanical, take it in vastly more profound direction altogether. Bohjalian has a fine feeling for emotions, and draws his characters with real affection. Eschewing predictable melodramatic violence, he has created a moving portrait of some decent people trying to cope with the powerful forces of grief and loss, which he leavens withdb (too many some's) very funny recollections of life in Little League.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Bill Parrish coaches the little league team that his son would have starred on, had he not died of leukemia over the winter. A strange young boy--mute, motherless, living with a father Bill never sees--joins the team. He spooks everybody, including the coach, especially since bad things happen to people who cross him, but his neediness appeals to Bill's wife. When the child is completely abandoned, Bill realizes that he has been manipulated: the league director intended all along that the bereaved coach and his wife would replace their lost child with this waif. Although Bohjalian ( A Killing in the Real World , St. Martin's, 1988) sets up tensions and expectations he does not fulfill, this is an engrossing story of loss and recovery. Recommended for public library fiction collections.
- Marylaine Block, St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, Ia.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881848026
• ISBN-13: 978-0881848021
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,075,499 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love Bohjalian!, July 1, 2002

By A Customer

I love him! His books are great reads!
Even his earlier books. I really enjoyed this book.
It's about a couple who lost their son to leukemia.
And the father decides to coach a little league team the following year. He proceeds to meet a very mysterious little boy on the team. The curiosity keeps the pages turning.
Good book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars just a hint of a ghost, July 25, 2008

By	Mara Zonderman (NY) - See all my reviews

Bohjalian takes the story of a father grieving over the death of a son and wraps it around hints of a ghost story. About a year after his son's death, Bill Parrish decides that coaching the local Little League team for which his son would have played will help him cope with the loss. When he gets the roster for his team, he notices a name, Lucky Diamond, that he's never heard before, unusual in his small Vermont town. A natural at baseball, Lucky should fit in well on the team. But the mystery surrounding him and his arrival deepen, and Bohjalian adds a few seemingly supernatural occurrences (strange cat behavior and the like) to a few odd and vaguely threatening coincidences (a boy who makes mean comments about Lucky is almost killed by a flying baseball bat) and Bill (and the reader) question who Lucky really is and what he's doing there. While the answer to those questions isn't overly satisfying (although it's reasonable enough) the resolution to the story is immensely gratifying.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, September 29, 2007

By	Melissa D. Lucas - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was pretty mesmerizing for me, I had a hard time putting it down at bedtime. Sort of spooky in parts, sad in others. Excellent book, one of his best.