Sunday, October 29, 2017

The Throwback Special

The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder is a newer book (2017), that is a great fictional novel to enjoy in the heart of football season.

The book has a somewhat unconventional premise, that almost like a symbolic plot element, works to create the scene more so that to be the essence of the story.

The plot revolves around twenty-two men who gather annually to reenact the November 1985 play in Monday Night Football where in a match-up between the Washington Redskins matched up against the New York Giants and quarterback Joe Theismann has his leg broken by Lawrence Taylor in a trick play gone wrong.

The story takes place over the weekend when these men gather and the story unfolds. While football plays a central thread to the story, the story is hardly about football. In fact, in many ways any man who has gathered with other men for any purposes (business or recreation), can probably relate to some part of this story. The story in many way, in my read, focuses on the inner psyche and interpersonal relationship among male acquaintances. In this regard, there is certainly something about this book that is a little existential, if not somewhat like a stand up comedy routine regarding male insecurity.

The novel is very well written and a pleasure to read. Bachelder's ridiculous premise and strangely unique insight and style has certainly sparked my interest here with this book. Not to mention, got me watching the clip of the 1985 Monday Night Football clip on YoutTube a number of times so I could capture and connect with the scene that these characters where trying to capture.

This book is book number 8, in my 2017 goal to read 12 books in 2017.

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