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In Hoffman's narrative, the purity of America's favorite pastime, baseball, meets the resilient and unassuming protagonist, Harold Fungo. The union results in a heartwarming story of passion and devotion, both to the game and to life itself. In the same vein as Field of Dreams, the emotional sentiment that arises from the iconic, "if you build it, they will come," is omnipresent in Harold's character, a mere janitor who becomes a hitting machine after stumbling upon the baseball machine that staff at the stadium used prior to the minor leaguers' batting practice.
What's intriguing is the Inception-like story within a story. Harold Fungo is a fictional character whose evolution into a legendary baseball player of folklore is being imagined by Joe Skelton. In many ways, Skelton and Fungo are direct parallels. While no one except his trusted friend, Nick, can understand a thing Fungo says, Skelton is a man of few words who has never written anything in his life. Yet, Harold's story and ode to baseball seem to flow out of him as Joe himself is fighting a race against time and his brain tumor.
Harold's whirlwind journey from janitor to literally a "can't miss" minor league star and ultimately a Cincinnati Red features a slew of characters, even the memorable Sparky—Harold's dog—that become fiercely protective of Harold and his naive innocence. Chiefly, Wally, the manager of the minor league club, is instrumental in spearheading Harold's Dimaggio-esque ascent, culminating in his fifty-five-game hitting streak. The author's shift from Harold's narrative to Joe's is intriguing and has a magical, surreal quality that harkens back to the work of memorable writers like Gabriel García Márquez. Above all else, Hoffman's work exudes strong energy, driven by endearing characters that are easy to root for.
A 2025 Eric Hoffer Book Award Category Finalist