The Art of Fielding

by Chad Harbach

The shortstop is a source of stillness at the center of the defense. He projects this stillness and his teammates respond.

Henry Skrimshander is an amazing shortstop from Lankton, South Dakota. He is recruited to play ball for Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan. A true cast of characters joins Henry at Westish, including:

Owen, Henry’s gay roommate,
Schwartz, Henry’s best friend and mentor,
Guert Affenlight, president of the college and Melville scholar, and
Pella, Affenlight’s ne’er-do-well daughter.

For three years, readers will follow the exploits of Henry, on and off the diamond. We will experience the art of fielding in action and appreciate the philosophy of a fictitious baseball player.

Prepare to be engrossed in baseball and campus life. Prepare to love Henry. And prepare for the ending, no matter how much you want the story to keep going.

Wonderful.

2/12/12