Curveball

A star rookie pitcher is making a statement in his first major league season—but will the secret he’s been keeping derail everything he’s been working toward?“Two Singers. Two pitchers. Two Mets. Loads of talent…including Eric Goodman in bringing this pair to us…. I raised my arms at least twice in triumph as I devoured their tale, and only once directly relating to the baseball action Goodman created. In the parlance of sports talk radio, I’m not a fiction guy, but my affection for this book was very real. In case you can’t make me out over PitchCom, I’ll put the signal in plain sight where any Astro can interpret it: don’t leave Goodman’s Curveball off the plate.” —Greg Prince, FaithandFearinFlushing.com “Eric Goodman’s Curveball dwells in its details in the most fascinating way—and it reaches far beyond its baseball setting to become a first-rate intergenerational drama as well as a delightful read.” —T.C. Boyle “Goodman does a fine job depicting the conflicts of a young player… In this knowing, compelling novel…” —George Vecsey, georgevecsey.com Jess Singer, pitching prodigy and son of the infamous Jewish Joe Singer—who starred on the mound for the same MLB team twenty-five years earlier—is blessed with a plus-plus curveball, possesses immense athletic abilities, and is on the fast-track to stardom. But he’s harboring perhaps the most potent secret a professional athlete can possess: his sexual preference. In this briskly paced, highly entertaining novel following three generations of Singers during Jess’s first year in The Show, Eric Goodman imagines what life might be like for a gay baseball player. Will Jess live in a confined closet or do what no baseball player has done yet? Goodman charts Jess’s path with tremendous sensitivity and grace, while detailing a season as riveting as watching your favorite underdog take their shot at the golden ring. Written with Goodman’s usual flair, humor, and zing—not to mention his deep knowledge and love of baseball—Curveball is a feel-good love story in which virtue and a wicked curve triumph over considerable adversity. “Fast and fun, Curveball, like its predecessor, In Days of Awe, is the best kind of sports story—gripping, poetic, and down-to-the wire. Even the non-fan will get swept away. This isn’t just a story about baseball...it’s about family and secrets and love, and about what’s passed on from one generation to the next. I don’t know anyone who writes about baseball like Eric Goodman. He’s got the savvy of an old pro, and the velocity of a young prospect.” —Rajiv Joseph