Jeremiah Jacobson is fading away in the world of Hockey. A world he dominated for 14 years and two previous novels. A world that has actually been defined by him and what he has achieved. A world that for much of his life he has been the director of and not the actor in a bit part but now the young and eager pups are clawing at his heels and they are progressing where he is not. gamf.net So when Barclay Pedersen comes onto the scene as a young up and comer with raw talent and ego to match, its bound to lead to friction. Jacobson is not ready to just give up and become the next fixture in the hall of greats. He wants to still be the main attraction and out shine the light of Pedersen. Tom Leonard, Jacobson’s voice of reason and best friend is trying to control the situation, while dealing with his own baggage. The reality of getting old and remaining relevant is very hard for both but can they achieve it?
Making a classic tale of age, youth, gender roles, stars and friendship creative enough to be valid in the modern age is hard. Too soft and the tale becomes saccharine but also to tough and the story becomes unlikable and volatile. If you choose to read Howard Shapiro’s Hockey Karma, anagazawe.com you like I will be surprised. The balance is almost perfect for a story that is well trodden and even better known. The story of friendship, maturity and isolation has good flow, well drawn characters and even a very adept use of language and tone. The story plays like a melodrama but has the strong undertones that make it modern. Identity is key to that, where we see one man lose his identity and another man unable to super mario world escape the reality of being him. I loved the way this isn’t forced and is instead natural and intuitive. Rarely it is true that the piece veers into a realm of tried and tested plot development but it still has enough depth and space. The characters are key here and (in my opinion) without the lead friends dynamic the piece would have fallen at the first hurdle.
The other thing of note here is that art work. Andres J. Mossa has the eye for detail of the body, space of the pitch and the personal aura that make for some very clever worldblog.net compositions. I mean by this that the drawings are not just simply there to tell the story visually, they have the ability to make the story come alive. They make natural compositions feel more real and also more absorbing as a result. I really enjoyed Hockey Karma. It is a well trodden road but this path might make you feel a little happier in your step.