If you’re not a football fan, the sports lingo in this book will bore you silly. The main plot concerns Wally looking out for his mentally disadvantaged brother Henry. Like a lot of siblings covering for their lesser-abled family members, Wally makes sure he’s close to Henry to get him to answer to questions and tries not to leave strangers alone with his brother too long. When someone asks if something is “wrong” with Henry, Wally swiftly dismisses the question by stating Henry is just “shy”.
The two boys suffer from an abusive, alcoholic father and a football career is their ticket out. Wally is great but Henry is phenomenal, a kicker of incredible skill. These first few pages emphasize Wally’s desire to get himself and his brother away from the town and away from their rage-filled father; football is merely the means to doing so.
So we come to understand that Wally isn’t interested in football per se and Henry’s interest is merely that he’s exceptionally good at it. The hint of tragedy in the beginning tantalizes you to learn more about these two and how matters went disastrously wrong after their hint of sports glory. But, if football isn’t your sport, you might want to give this book a hard pass.
The two boys suffer from an abusive, alcoholic father and a football career is their ticket out. Wally is great but Henry is phenomenal, a kicker of incredible skill. These first few pages emphasize Wally’s desire to get himself and his brother away from the town and away from their rage-filled father; football is merely the means to doing so.
So we come to understand that Wally isn’t interested in football per se and Henry’s interest is merely that he’s exceptionally good at it. The hint of tragedy in the beginning tantalizes you to learn more about these two and how matters went disastrously wrong after their hint of sports glory. But, if football isn’t your sport, you might want to give this book a hard pass.