In his gripping follow-up to last year’s Walks with the Wind, Physioc continues the story of Sam Cloud-Carson, a promising pitcher fighting to overcome personal challenges and achieve stardom. After a disastrous stint working as a reconnaissance tracker at Diamond Bar, a corrupt American security firm based in Afghanistan, Sam decides to pursue baseball full force by moving to Nicaragua and trying out for the Diriamba Dukes. But as Sam’s talent takes him to the majors and his team heads to the World Series, he also must contend with Diamond Bar’s dangerous and power-hungry owner, Drake Dixon, who refuses to let Sam walk away from the past unscathed. As a character, Sam is well rounded and complex, often consumed with grief over the loss of his parents and his sister, Jenny, who died of kidney disease as a teenager. Jenny’s tragic story adds even more weight to Sam’s past–he initially joined Diamond Bar after Dixon falsely promised he would secure her a kidney transplant. Also strongly developed is Sam’s relationship with Sydney, who is struggling with infertility and stuck in an abusive marriage. Physioc deftly acknowledges each character’s trauma and the role it plays in their budding connection.
A longtime play-by-play announcer for the Kansas City Royals, Physioc is intimately familiar with the quirks and mythology of baseball, which gives this book welcome depth. Everything from Sam’s first professional loss to his time in South America is depicted with the insight and clarity of an insider, which baseball fans will appreciate; he’s adept at explaining the tactics of pitch selection or the effect of afternoon shadows on a ballgame. But even readers who simply enjoy smooth, descriptive prose and a good character-driven story will find something to like here, as Physioc’s tale offers a riveting look at one man’s journey to reclaim his life and discover his destiny.
Takeaway: Physioc’s gripping, touching baseball novel continues the story of a burgeoning pitcher struggling to achieve stardom.
Great for fans of: Eliot Asinof’s Man on Spikes, Paul Hemphill’s Long Gone.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A
