The Might Have Been: A Novel,Used

Joseph M. Schusters absorbing debut novel resonates with the pull of lifelong dreams, the sting of regret, and the ways we define ourselves against uncertain twists of fateperfect for fans of Chad Harbachs The Art of Fielding.NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY ST. LOUIS POSTDISPATCHFor Edward Everett Yates, split seconds matter: the precise timing of hitting a low outside pitch, of stealing a base, of running down a fly ball. After a decade playing in the minor leaguesyears after most of his peers have given uphes still patiently waiting for his chance at the majors. Then one day he gets called up to the St. Louis Cardinals, and finally the future he wanted unfolds before him.But one more split second changes everything: In what should have been the game of his life, he sustains a devastating knee injury, which destroys his professional career.Thirty years later, after sacrificing so many opportunitiesa lucrative job, relationships with women who loved him, even the chance for a familyEdward Everett is barely hanging on as the manager of a minor league baseball team, still grappling with regret over the choices he made and the life he almost had. Then he encounters two playersone brilliant but undisciplined, the other eager but unremarkablewho show him that his greatest contribution may come in the last place he ever expected.Full of passion, ambition, and possibility, The Might Have Been maps the profound and unpredictable moments that change our lives forever, and the irresistible power of a second chance.Praise for The Might Have BeenThe effort to sustain the tradition of the great American baseball novel receives an honorable boost with this meticulously peopled tale of opportunities lost.The New York Times Book ReviewEventually, all of us have to grapple our mighthavebeens. This is the moving story of a man whose chance for baseball stardom ended in a splitsecond accident, and it resonates far beyond the baseball field.Readers DigestA brilliant debut . . . a lovely, poignant, heartbreaker of a baseball novel, as good as last years hyped The Art of Fielding and more literary than Grishams Calico Joe.St. Louis PostDispatchA grand slam!San Antonio ExpressNewsThe Might Have Been is about the hold baseball can have on those who play it, but its also about acceptance, and patience, and the struggle to know when to fold em, and when to run.Milwaukee JournalSentinelA terrific story that goes beyond the sport and deals with promise and aspirations, dreams and disappointments . . . Never mind whether you are a baseball fan. This is a damn fine read.Kirkus Reviews (starred review)