Sure, Harris’s most acclaimed novel, the second of his Henry Wiggen books, centers around a pair of ballplayers for the fictionally fabled New York Mammoths–the novel’s narrator, pitcher Wiggen, and Bruce Pearson, his tag-along catcher and best friend. And sure, on one level, it’s the conventional tale of a disparate dugout population cohering over the course of a season and marching ineluctably toward the World Series. But convention, like a 55-foot curveball, ends there and then scoots off in its own unpredictable direction. Harris’s story–funny, bittersweet, and affecting–is, in the end, a haunting meditation on life, death, friendship, and loyalty. That it’s set against the backdrop of the Major Leagues makes it a baseball novel. That it’s a brilliant study of human nature, passionately felt and beautifully crafted, makes it enduring literature. –Jeff Silverman
Henry Wiggin, Harris’s major league southpaw, narrates the story of the last season of a teammate and of the tragic knowledge which the team must share. Acclaimed as one of the finest baseball novels. Adapted as a film with Michael Moriarty, Robert DeNiro, Vincent Gardenia and Danny Aiello in his debut. Henry Wiggin, Harri’s major league southpaw, narrates the story of the last season of a teammate and of the tragic knowledge which the team must share. Acclaimed as one of the finest baseball novels. Adapted as a film with Michael Moriarty, Robert DeNiro.
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Other Kindle Books of Interest
The Southpaw
Shoeless Joe
You Know Me Al
The Sun Also Rises
Clemente
