Broken Play

by Nicholas Sheppard

Alec Haudepin has spent the winters of his youth on the rugby field, and now, at twenty-three, his dream of playing for the All Blacks is almost within reach. But his rise to prominence belies quiet sadness about the part of his identity he has always struggled to acknowledge.
As he strives to remain in contention for the famous black jersey, an appealing young stranger, with secrets of his own, moves into the same apartment building. Alec's yearning to explore his hidden orientation vies with his need to be accepted in a part of society that is yet to contend with what he represents.
Exploring social change with beguiling subtlety, Broken Play is a richly observed and emotionally charged literary work of identity and longing, and a timely evocation of a reluctant pioneer.

325 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 27, 2023

Reviews

[George Fenwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was beautifully written; some of the prose in here was insanely well thought out and very emotionally impactful. A lovely story that managed to be topical in a very clever way, it was never too on-the-nose. I found the development of the central relationship to be a little unbelievable - it accelerated very fast which seemed to contrast Alec’s character. But didn’t affect the story overall. Probably the only time I’ll ever read a book about rugby lol

[Karen Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was published in 2018, I hadn't heard of New Zealand writer Sheppard before and this is not his only book. I listened to a review and followed it up.

The timeframe is over ther period of a month or two and is a beautiful read. Sentively written, without drama it's a situation we can all see playing out and we all wish we,and society will respond better to.

Why this book has not got more press or acknowledged more widely I don't know but I highly recommend it.