R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on + 1452 more book reviews
There is not much I can add to what others have written about this novel except to say that it is a good read. Members of my family are involved in hockey but the depth of the anger and involvement at a junior level seemed out of proportion to me. One thing really bothered me and that was the repetition of "Bang, bang, bang, bang." I've not heard a hockey puck make that type of noise and it was irritating probably to the point where I gave this read four stars and thought about giving it three. It was jarring.
This is a very good read but I wanted to see the depth the author has given to some of his earlier characters. Perhaps that wasn't possible because there were so many. We know primarily how the characters relate to hockey, hockey players and each other because of hockey. Yes, I know how small towns can get involved in sports, particularly when there isn't much else for involvement. I grew up in a very small town and the sport was basketball. I even tried playing but I was much too short so I warmed the bench during my brief attempt at the community sport. However, our teams were never this good.
So much angst. So much anger. So much dark emotion. The author calls attention to the dark side of what can happen when a community and most of its population become so involved they lose sight of all the reasons for participating in sports. There is so much more to playing than winning.
A young member of our family who loves hockey, the skills involved and the teamwork prefers to participate on B teams rather than the A teams.
I do applaud the author for writing a different novel from his earlier works because it's too easy to fall back on the formulas that work. My favorite characters were Maya, Ana, Amat, Benji, and Suni. Suni? Now there's a story that needs to be told. Maybe the author will.
This is a very good read but I wanted to see the depth the author has given to some of his earlier characters. Perhaps that wasn't possible because there were so many. We know primarily how the characters relate to hockey, hockey players and each other because of hockey. Yes, I know how small towns can get involved in sports, particularly when there isn't much else for involvement. I grew up in a very small town and the sport was basketball. I even tried playing but I was much too short so I warmed the bench during my brief attempt at the community sport. However, our teams were never this good.
So much angst. So much anger. So much dark emotion. The author calls attention to the dark side of what can happen when a community and most of its population become so involved they lose sight of all the reasons for participating in sports. There is so much more to playing than winning.
A young member of our family who loves hockey, the skills involved and the teamwork prefers to participate on B teams rather than the A teams.
I do applaud the author for writing a different novel from his earlier works because it's too easy to fall back on the formulas that work. My favorite characters were Maya, Ana, Amat, Benji, and Suni. Suni? Now there's a story that needs to be told. Maybe the author will.
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