'Bleachers' a refreshing change for Grisham

"Bleachers" author John Grisham's dive into heartland football, is not only perhaps one of his most emotionally sensitive works to date, but also a radical departure from the formula that has made him a darling of The New York Times Best Seller List for the past decade. Gone is the small town Southern lawyer who struggles along until a gem of a case falls into his lap. By deviating from his overused formula, Grisham has created a novel that is, in fact, novel for him.\n"Bleachers" is set in the small town of Messina, a place that values God, country and football, but not necessarily in that order. Messina's Spartans football team is to its unspecified state what North Odessa is to Texas football: a legend. Former players far and wide are drawn back to town years after they left to pay their last respects to their dying coach. They can't figure out whether they love him or hate him -- and most of the book focuses on the conflicted emotions his former players have toward the man and the legend of Eddie Rake.\nPerhaps the former player who has the most at stake is Neely Crenshaw, a former All-American and Messina superstar who hasn't been able to move on from the time when he was a star. Crenshaw, whose dreams of NFL stardom were dashed after a cheap shot to his knees his sophomore year of college, has since wandered aimlessly through his life post-college. The first time since high school he stepped back into Messina was the day he came back to wait for Rake to die.\nRake's former players take to a nightly vigil in the stands of the football field, reliving past glories and defeats. They take turns exchanging war stories with each other, comparing notes on the man who put Messina on the map with 13 state titles. Crenshaw has a long-standing bitterness toward the coach who trained him and the town that idolizes him long past his departure. \nWhile in town, Crenshaw tries to come to terms with not only his glorious football career, but also the way he behaved while a being treated like a god in this small town. He tries to regain his love with the high school girlfriend he tossed aside for the hot-to-trot "Screamer," who has since moved on but bears a deep-seated hatred for football to this day.\nRake dies, and the town goes into a collective mourning. Players who left Messina years ago return to pay their final respects to a man who shaped the town into the football-crazed place it was. The players finally reach their peace with Rake, who reaches out for forgiveness in his final words to the town and team.\n"Bleachers" is an interesting deviation from the normal novel expected from Grisham. It is a slim volume that can be finished in a few lazy afternoons -- and its appeal reaches beyond a die hard football fan. It reads more like a short story, with a focus on the emotions of the players rather than the next play in the game. Though at times it can meander, "Bleachers" is a solid addition to the Grisham library without the Southern lawyer shtick.\n"Bleachers" is available in paperback for $5.59 and hardback for $13.96 on www.amazon.com.