Easy Out
Author: Steven Sandor
Publisher: James Lorimer & Co.,MG
Genre: Sports, Contemporary, Grief
Westlock is an hour north of Edmonton, a prairie town with a long baseball history. But registrations are down, and there are only enough kids in town to fill one team. So Mo Montpetit's team is entered into the Baseball Alberta AA league. All the kids registered will be playing rep ball. No tryouts needed.
Mo's dad is a baseball legend in Westlock. And that's Mo's problem. Mo isn't very good. He can't hit a rep-level fastball. And as the season starts, the strikeouts and errors mount. The Westlock team loses game after game. How can these kids, not ready for rep ball, compete in a league well above their heads? And how can Mo step out of his dad's long shadow?
You don't need to be a baseball fan to enjoy this novel. It's well written, and incorporates diverse characters, strong girls and real places in Alberta, Canada. There are two themes going on here: a boy who needs to resist and stand up to his overbearing father, who is basically trying to relive his youth through him (the handling of this is heartwarming if slightly predictable), and the need to redefine goals (truly well executed). Any reader who has ever felt discouraged from being unable to achieve goals will benefit from this. The tension is well built, well paced. The characters are realistic. The writing is good. The book even touches on how some team names are racist, and offend others.
Examples of strong writing:
"You had a chance to really make it, Dad. And it didn't happen. Now all we do is talk about the past. But you have to realize I am not you. I am not your failed dream."
A dozen men sat in a row next to the host, all in too-tight blue team jackets. One of them wasn't able to button his up.
- PW