Rick Dockery wakes up in a hospital bed, with a very fuzzy memory, and
the only thing that he''s really certain of
is that he''s hurt
really really bad, and that something awful
happened. As he is gently informed by his agent, Arnie, not only did he
actually get to play in a major NFL game (Rick is the backup to the
backup quarterback), but he blew the Cleveland Browns certain win by
throwing three intercepted passes, causing the Denver Broncos to win in
the last few minutes of the game. To say that his professional career
is in ruins is an understatement.
So when his agent suggests that it might be a good idea to get out of
town, Rick heartily agrees. But when Arnie calls that he has a new job
for him -- and as a starting
quarterback at that -- Ricks a bit dubious, especially when where he''s
being sent is the Italian city of Parma. Rick knows nothing about
Italy, doesn''t speak the language, and when he''s told that he''s playing
American
football, it''s an entirely new world that''s opening up before him.
Not that there isn''t problems -- a nasty reporter from Cleveland is
heckling him, and a bubble-headed groupie is seeking a paternity claim.
And it seems that the gorgeous cheerleaders that his agent promised are
no where in sight.
It''s a funny novel, full of slice-of-life incidents for Rick, from
meeting his teammates which include waiters, a judge, a cook, farmers
and construction workers without a pro in sight, all of them looking to
Rick to supply that coveted Italian Super Bowl trophy for the Parma
Panthers, to the weirdnesses of the judicial system, and driving a
Fiat. But then, Rick also finds out about food -- real Italian food and wine, and that there''s a very different pace to life here in Italy.
While I had read Grisham''s earlier works, I wasn''t expecting very much
out of this novel except for an evening''s entertainment. A good portion
of the story is given over to the play of football, some of it in the
archaic, arcane language of the huddle, but to balance that are some
beautiful descriptions of Italian meals that are mouthwatering, and a
part of the world that tends to get overlooked. It''s also an amusing
novel on being an expatriate and being abroad in circumstances not
entirely in our control. Most of all, it''s a cheerful novel, about a
man having to figure out what to do when his life goes flying apart and
he has to figure out a way to cope and get his life back together --
something that no one is ever really taught how to do until they''re in
the middle of it all.
So don''t expect any great ideas or theories here, but instead, open up
a good bottle of wine, settle in with this book, and have several hours
to relax and go along for the ride. It''s worth it. Overall, it''s about
three and a half stars, upgraded to four, since I still can''t give half
stars.