Wait wait hear me out - even if you have never been a baseball fan there is still PLENTY to love about The Art of Fielding. Set in the fictional college town of Westish, the book is crafted out of little moments that seem insignificant when they happen but can scuttle the course of someone's (or in this case, several someones') life. There was an undercurrent running through the lives of each character of the struggle of living out the dreams you think you have, overcoming obstacles and the insidiousness of self doubt.
Harbach moved us through his imaginary campus as if he were giving a tour of Westish College to an incoming freshman. I'll confess, I even Googled Westish Wisconsin to see if it was a real place and wanting to see the haunted Melville statue myself.
The ending got a little morbid and esoteric for me. It almost put a blemish on the symbolism that ran through the rest of the book to manufacture a major "galvanizing event" but the last 10 pages were simple perfection.
Release your fears. Pick this one up. You won't regret it!
Goodreads rating: 4.5 stars
In progress: (paper) A Secret Kept by Tatiana DeRosnay
(nook) Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
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