Customer Reviews

Sport: A Novel

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the character Sport, Mick Cochrane gives us a boy who not only endures but learns to celebrate his endurance. While others might fret over misfortune and dysfunction, Harlan Hawkins, Jr., aka Sport, accepts the hand that life has dealt him -- an abusive, obese brother; a tough, bitter but scattershot mother suffering from MS; a brilliant, abusive drunken attorney father; a broken home impoverished by his father's refusal to pay support; and a kind teacher who sees his potential. No matter what befalls him, Sport moves ahead with his life. He is most alive when thinking about baseball or likening events in his life to baseball. In that sense he is like all children, learning to make sense of the world as he grows into it. In this age of the abuse excuse and the twisted psychopathy that passes for characterization, it's nice to encounter a normal character who, like most of us, deals with life as effectively as possible because there is no alternative. By loving his family despite their painfully apparent weaknesses, Sport proves himself the strongest of them all. Quiet strength is the stuff of which true heroes are made. Bravo!

As good as Cochrane's first book was, Sport is even better. Like Frank McCourt, he adds a unique blend of humour to a tragic life. You instantly feel for the well-developed characters he creates and want to know more about their lives. It is definately a must read.

In the premier story in "Hearts in Atlantis," Stephen King has a wise old character say that some books have a great story and some books have great writing: "read sometimes for the story, Bobby. Don't be like the book-snobs who won't do that. Read sometimes for the words - the language. Don't be like the play-it-safers that won't do that. But when you find a book that has both a good story and good words, treasure that book."

Mick Cochrane's book, Sport, does not knock it out of the park. It has good writing and a story that I wanted to like. The writing was taut and initially moved right along, but ended up "all dressed up with no place to go." This is not really a book about St. Paul - but rather St. Paul is a backdrop for this mostly tragic with only a glimmer of comic story. The older brother reminds me of the older brother on the television series "The Wonder Years." Other than St. Paul street names, the major local tie-in is the Minnesota Twins, which, in a bizarre quirk of fate subsequent to the publication of this bleak novel, are probably doomed as well (if Bud Seilig has his way and his "contraction" is allowed to erase the Twins from existence.)

Mr. Walker, the most "adult" member of this cast, proposes a toast to "Joy in Mudville" with his empty Coke can in hand. That's as good as this book gets. Better bet: "Until They Bring the Streetcars Back" by Stanley Gordon West.

While there are some things I particularlly liked about this book, like the ending based on the choices "Sport" makes for his future, which I grappled with over and over, overall this book just didn't move me like Mick Cochrane's debut novel Flesh Wounds did. While the writing is still crafted with beautiful descriptive phrases which give me an incredible visual image of the characters and setting, it took me a while to really get into this story. I do admire Cochrane's masterful character development and artful use of dialogue. This is a nice coming of age story reminiscent of To Kill a Mockingbird as it raises larger societal issues within the seemingly mundane events of the smaller unit (in this case the one home, whereas in Harper Lee's novel, the town), however the issues are here so very subtle that I think they get lost. The loss of childhood is a great theme well done here but for me the story line itself was not a compelling read. Maybe its a gender thing??? Or a sports lover thing? I've never been either a participant nor very interested in watching sports. I think that without those experiences as a point of reference, much of the enjoyment of this novel is lost. It took me a while to get into the story as I think it has a slow beginning, but it did get more enticing as the story moved on. If you can read through the first few chapters with interest then buy this book as it gets better from there on.