Title/Author:
“One
Night in October” by Chad A. Cain
Tags:
Baseball,
fiction, Cardinals, family
Published:
April
14, 2014
Length:
242
pages
Stars:
41/2
of 5 stars (excellent)
Review:
Game
6 of the 2011 World Series is considered to be one of the best World Series
games ever played. Twice the St. Louis Cardinals came back from the brink of
elimination to not only defeat the Texas Rangers in that game, but also in game
7 to win the World Series. The epic game
6 is the background event for the story of a man who is returning home to see
his dying father one last time. This
would be difficult in any situation, but for Paul, seeing his father Johnny, with whom he had a falling out, is even more difficult. The struggles of both men are chronicled in
this debut novel by Chad Cain, a lifetime Cardinals fan.
There
were many instances where the relationship between father and son are tested,
but no matter what they may be, they both share the love of Cardinals
baseball. Many of the father-son moments
(or mother-daughter, mother-son, father-daughter, whichever may be appropriate)
that make baseball such a unique experience are captured here. Those include the first time that father and
son go to a major league game or when the two of them share memories of great
victories or heartbreaking defeats.
However, the book is also taut with emotional struggles and some drama as Paul is confronting not only Johnny to understand why things went the way they did, but also some other inner demons. He finally decides to allow his son Jack to see his grandfather for the first time during this encounter. How this family drama plays out and eventually get addressed is an engrossing tale. There are so many issues that Paul and his father have to resolve that nearly every reader should be able to understand how the characters feel about this in at least one of these situations.
The
chapters are broken up by each half-inning of the game and the action on the
field is captured in the chapter as well as what is transpiring with the main
characters. There is also plenty of Cardinals
history from the past 30 years illustrated in the book as well because as Paul
recalls what was happening between him and his father at that time, he relates
it to how the Cardinals were performing on the field. As one who often will remember events in my
life by remembering them in relation to what happened that year or time in
baseball, I can understand why Paul does this.
Overall, this was a very good debut novel that will bring out all of the reader’s emotions and will entertain the reader as well. Baseball fans, especially Cardinals fans, will enjoy this captivating story.
I
wish to thank Mr. Cain for providing an advance review copy of the book in
exchange for an honest review.
Pace of the book:
The
story moves along at an excellent pace with smooth transitions between the
current setting and flashbacks to past events.
The reader will follow this story easily.
Do I recommend?
Baseball
fans who want to learn more about this game and its significance might want to
read this. Also those who want to learn
more about the two pitchers, although there are more complete biographies on
both of them available.
Ebook
(PDF)
Buying Links:
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