Synopses & Reviews
Joe Columbus is an ordinary man: schoolteacher, husband, father-to-be. His younger brother, CJ, however, is anything but ordinary: the Chicago Cubs' star third baseman, a baseball hero, destined for greatness.
In a voice both humorous and plaintive, Joe tells of his brother's remarkable ascent from the sandlots of their southern California childhood to the ivy-walled shrine of Wrigley Field, in an effort to explain not only CJ's apparently charmed life but also his own missteps and failures -- his collapsing marriage, his envy and cowardice, and a rift between brothers that is healed only by tragedy.
Mark Friedman's first novel is the heartbreaking tale of two brothers whose lives lead to vastly different fates. A richly imagined story that explores both the grand and enduring allure of our national pasttime and the complications of our lives -- our longings, losses, and regrets -- COLUMBUS SLAUGHTERS BRAVES is for anyone who has had a hero or wanted to be one. Like W. P. Kinsella's SHOELESS JOE and Richard Ford's THE SPORTSWRITER, this is a compassionate but honest novel that introduces readers to a gifted and extraordinarily perceptive writer.
Review
"Friedman's vivid prose takes us on a journey that is at turns funny and uncomfortably real...For a rookie novelist, Friedman has hit a sharp double down the line." Newsday
"This taut novella from Mark Friedman explores the psychological consequences of being one notch ahead in the birth order from a scarily talented, perennially blessed, and eventually iconic bazillionaire baseball star. This is an unsparing ode to brotherly hate, a manipulative little book that's also flawless in its portrayal of a decent guy's daily struggle against feeling like a total scrub. " The Los Angeles Times
"'Columbus Slaughters Braves' is a deep, troubling look at sibling rivalry framed by one brother's otherworldly talent and another's unhealthy resentment of him and it...This book won't leave you smiling, but it will make you think...and feel." The Chicago Tribune
Synopsis
Mark Friedman's debut novel is an unflinchingly honest portrait of the relationship between siblings, the heartbreaking tale of two brothers whose lives lead to vastly different fates. The narrator, Joe Columbus, tells the story of his brother CJ's remarkable success as a professional baseball player in an effort to explain not only CJ's apparently charmed life but also his own failures - his envy, his crumbling marriage, his missteps and cowardice.
A richly imagined story that explores both the grand and enduring allure of our national pasttime and the complications of our lives - our longings, losses, and regrets - COLUMBUS SLAUGHTERS BRAVES is a dark and comic and ultimately redemptive novel. Like W. P. Kinsella's SHOELESS JOE Joe and Michael Shaara's FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, this is a poignant and compassionate work that introduces readers to a gifted and extraordinarily perceptive writer.
About the Author
Mark Friedman studied writing at Johns Hopkins University and lives in Baltimore, Maryland.