the throwback special by chris bachelder

Along the way, mishaps, misunderstandings, and grievances pile up, and the comforting traditions holding the group together threaten to give way.The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive.

Over the course of a weekend, the men reveal their secret hopes, fears, and passions as they choose roles, spend a long night of the soul preparing for the play, and finally enact their bizarre ritual for what may be the last time. Chris Bachelder introduces us to Charles, a psychologist whose expertise is in high demand George, a garrulous public librarian Fat Michael, envied and despised by the others for being exquisitely fit Jeff, a recently divorced man who has become a theorist of marriage and more. Chris Bachelder works a kind of poignant comedic magic. Still, the Normans push on to Vegas, toward an apocalyptic, surprisingly emotional ending.Here is the absorbing story of twenty-two men who gather every fall to painstakingly reenact what ESPN called 'the most shocking play in NFL history' and the Washington Redskins dubbed the 'Throwback Special': the November 1985 play in which the Redskins' Joe Theismann had his leg horribly broken by Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants live on Monday Night Football. In his novel 'The Throwback Special,' Chris Bachelder huddles with middle-aged men who spill insecurities at a football gathering. Norman grows ambivalent about the impending event and the family with whom he can't seem to connect. Overwhelmed by factoids and ten-second debates, Mr. As the Normans head cross-country in their SUV, they encounter a dizzying barrage of voices weighing in on the upcoming spectacle - everyone from the Freudians, theologians, pundits, and self-published authors on the radio to the bear and shark fanatics, cultists, and resisters at pit stops along the way. The Throwback Special is a moving and comic tale filled with pitch-perfect observations about manhood, marriage, middle age, and the rituals we all enact as part of being alive. Shark: A Reason to Live,' young Curtis Norman wins a national contest and four tickets to the sold-out event. After a disappointing loss in the first computer-generated match-up, the bear is out for blood. , razor-sharp satire of our media-saturated culture, the sovereign nation of Las Vegas is host to Bear v.

Given a relatively level playing field - i.e., water deep enough so that a shark could maneuver proficiently but shallow enough so that a bear could stand and operate with its characteristic dexterity - who would win in a fight between a bear and a shark? In this fiercely funny. Publishers make digital review copies and audiobooks available for the NetGalley community to discover, request, read, and review. Shark: The Novel (Trade Paperback / Paperback) NetGalley helps publishers and authors promote digital review copies to book advocates and industry professionals.

The throwback special by chris bachelder