Book of the Week: Touchback

Touchback is the story of Scott Murphy, a bitter, frustrated, depressed former high school American football star. Crippled in his last game before embarking on a college and professional career, Murphy has struggled in life since, unable to properly provide for his wife and daughters subsequently, haunted by the memories of what his life could have been. Pushed beyond his endurance by his latest failings, he attempts suicide and finds himself back in time, a week before the pivotal game, in full possession of his memories. He must choose whether to change his life at this time, or to accept it.

As a middle aged man with a family, his battles to provide for his family rang very true for me, and I loved the willingness of Don Handfield to write a novel that is willing to go into the heart of  a man's emotions. His presentation of American small town life conveyed humour, pathos and empathy in equal measures. While his final decision was fairly predictable, the journey he took to get there wasn't and the characters we spend time with along the way were consistently engaging. The re-telling of the game was captivating and the ending left me with the tears that I'm sure Don Handfield was hoping would appear.

Shoeless Joe covered some of the same ground and Handfield was equally wise in not attempting to explain how the time travel occurred, as such explanations inevitably tug at one's suspension of disbelief. All the American football knowledge required to read this book is that quarterbacks are the key to the game.

I picked this up for free on Kindle based upon some solid reviews. Recommended.
http://www.amazon.com/Touchback-ebook/dp/B007TXT9XA