The Brothers K

David James Duncan

This is the story of the Chance family in the late 60's. Patriarch Hugh Chance is a minor league pitcher and even after a career ending injury, his identity is as a ball player. This identity is so strong that it is also the identity of his family (4 boys and twin girls). The family is also wrapped in the identity of the Seventh Day Adventist mother and her history. Narrated by Kincaid Chance (4th son), the story actually provides insight into the family life from the point of view of each of the brothers at various times. While the narrative ebbs and flows, sometimes engaging and other times dragging, the development of complex battle fronts within the family was always engaging. There is no typical antagonist here, but a series of familial interactions that are deep and interwoven in their motivations to allow the role of antagonist to be passed around the family and the community. In this way, the characterization was likely more in line with how actual families function. I absolutely loved the baseball portions of the book (the first third) and pushed through the middle to enjoy the last third as well.
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