Review: Calico Joe by John Grisham
Joe Castle was a rookie phenom in late 1973 for the Chicago Cubs. A native of Calico Rock, Arkansas, Castle was called up to the bigs from double-A ball when two big leaguers got hurt. Castle starts with a bang-- literally-- smashing a home run on his first swing. But what catches the attention of Cubs fans, and then the nation, is that no one seems to be able to get Joe Castle out. From the outset, though, the reader knows that something goes terribly wrong, and that Joe Castle's career in the major leagues is but the briefest of flashes: 38 games.
The story is told by Paul Tracy, the now grown-up son of Mets pitcher Warren Tracy, looking back at the summer of 1973 some 30 years later. Paul, as a boy, idolized Joe Castle in a way he couldn't possibly idolize his philandering, drunk, abusive father.
Readers can see these two story lines on a collision course--with Warren Tracy's Mets battling Castle's Cubs in the pennant race, and Tracy's unravelling career and home life at odds with Castle's youth and promise.
John Grisham writes as much about lost possibilities and the power of forgiveness as baseball in this book. Readers ride the triumphant highs of Calico Joe's amazing start, and the horrible lows of Warren Tracy's unforgivable actions. Ultimately, Calico Joe is a sad story-- as is nearly every baseball story. Like former MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti said, the game is designed to break your heart. And so is this story. Unlike Grisham's courtroom dramas, this is not a page-turner. But the story is short enough, and the hook strong enough, to pull you through to the end, even if you're not a baseball fan. Because like most baseball stories, this really isn't about baseball.
The story is told by Paul Tracy, the now grown-up son of Mets pitcher Warren Tracy, looking back at the summer of 1973 some 30 years later. Paul, as a boy, idolized Joe Castle in a way he couldn't possibly idolize his philandering, drunk, abusive father.
Readers can see these two story lines on a collision course--with Warren Tracy's Mets battling Castle's Cubs in the pennant race, and Tracy's unravelling career and home life at odds with Castle's youth and promise.
John Grisham writes as much about lost possibilities and the power of forgiveness as baseball in this book. Readers ride the triumphant highs of Calico Joe's amazing start, and the horrible lows of Warren Tracy's unforgivable actions. Ultimately, Calico Joe is a sad story-- as is nearly every baseball story. Like former MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti said, the game is designed to break your heart. And so is this story. Unlike Grisham's courtroom dramas, this is not a page-turner. But the story is short enough, and the hook strong enough, to pull you through to the end, even if you're not a baseball fan. Because like most baseball stories, this really isn't about baseball.
Comments
Post a Comment