’’The road to Rake Field ran beside the school, past the old band hall and tennis courts, through a tunnel of two perfect red and yellow maples planted and paid for by the boosters, then over a small hill to a lower area covered with enough asphalt for a thousand cars. The road stopped in front of an immense gate of brick and wrought iron that announced the presence of Rake Field, and beyond the gate was a chain-link fence that encircled the hallowed ground. On Friday nights, the entire town of Messina waited for the gate to open, then rushed to the bleachers, where seats were claimed and nervous pre-game rituals were followed.’’
Nelly Crenshaw was once an All American Quarterback who played on the very field in Messina, Mississippi. He was a member of the army of football players under the rule of Coach Rake. Yet, a horrible injury in college shattered Nelly?s dreams and desires?joining the NFL. He appears now to just be drifting through life, like he has nothing to do. He hasn?t accomplished much. He doesn?t have much money.
He says all the time, ?I wish I had never seen a football. Just be another guy with two good legs.?
The town of Messina fed on Eddie Rake’s success. In his 34 years of coaching the Spartans, his record stood at 418 wins, 62 losses, 13 state titles and an undefeated streak from 1964 to 1970. One death, as well.
15 years after he played under Coach Rake, Nelly finds himself back in Messina. He hasn?t been back since they retired his number in 1989. He is surrounded by many of other members of Coach Rake?s football dynasty, all of them in town for the same thing. To await the death of their beloved coach, who inspired not only his players, but also the whole town. They are also keeping a secret from the championship game in 1987. Something that occurred during halftime that resulted in Crenshaw pulling off a miracle to win, playing with a broken hand, even as the coach was mysteriously absent from the field. The mystery begins.
Though quite short, (163 pages) Grisham masterfully delves into vivid details and fantastic character development. At the end of the tale, I felt as if I knew these guys. However, as developed these characters were, Bleachers as a story doesn?t really develop. It starts off promising, and then it?s all down the drain from there. I was actually wondering why Grisham even took time to write it. Maybe he wanted to take another little step away from all the legal stuff. Maybe he wanted to bring back the days when he was a quarterback in high school. Whatever may be the case, this book is quite a disappointment. Grisham miscalled the play on 3rd and long, and everyone seems to be aware of that.
In Bleachers, John Grisham?s third timeout since law thrillers, a story is told, following a group of guys coming to a small town to wait for their coach to die. That?s it. There is no mystery, no suspense, no nothing. Just a damn bad fumble by John Grisham.
Being in law school, hoping to be a litigator one day, I truly enjoy books by John Grisham. His courtroom novels. Law. The stuff he?s good at. If you?re not going to buy this book in paperback, I find it difficult to recommend to anyone.