Doubles: A Novel

by Nic Brown

A tennis pro tries to escape the shambles of his life and recapture his glory "Brown may be the John Updike for a new generation" (Library Journal, starred review).

Slow Smith is in a slump. He's a professional tennis player stuck in his hometown, serving to an empty court. His wife is in a coma and he's afraid he's to blame. Left behind are her Polaroids, obsessive daily records of their life together. Meanwhile Kaz, Slow's lifelong doubles partner, is traveling the world, playing with someone new.

Then one afternoon his old coach Manny appears in a dumpy Fiat convertible and persuades Slow to get in. When they return to Forest Hills--the site of a six-year winning streak--they reunite with old friends, who call up long-buried desires and reveal a secret that threatens to destroy Slow's marriage--as well as his friendship with Kaz.

"Part Irving, part Russo, Doubles is wacky, yet sharp, and ultimately, a moving riff on the many shapes of love." --Elisabeth Robinson, author of The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters

"That rare sports novel with big heart and wide appeal." --Publishers Weekly

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 25, 2010

About the author

Nic Brown is the author of the memoir Bang Bang Crash, as well as the novels In Every Way, Doubles, and Floodmarkers, which was selected as an Editors' Choice by The New York Times Book Review. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Oxford American, and the Harvard Review, among many other publications. A graduate of Columbia University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, he has served as the Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi and is now a professor of creative writing at Clemson University.

Reviews

[Gary Branson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable. Good storytelling. Odd shifts at times made it confusing.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fear that my review may be shorter than the synopsis....

A quick read but nothing very memorable. Not what I expected, kind of bland or meh as people who know me would understand what I mean. There were numerous spelling and grammatical errors and even the wrong names being used.

Beyond these blatant, unforgivable pieces, the themes are somewhat relate-able. The story surrounds betrayal, sex, lying, and affairs amidst superstitions. You'd expect more about tennis, but there is not a lot of symbolism between the sport and the lives each of the characters are living. What we see is more about the downfall of an athlete after a car accident and slowly uncovering the truth of secrets before that day. The feeling of waiting too long to forgive someone or you'll tell them another time is all too real.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found it more sad than funny, and under no circumstances could you call it a sports book. The shifting relationships between Slow and his wife and his lifelong partner make tennis itself take a backseat. Since I finished the book, I have been ruminating on the characters and the outcome of their (sad) choices. I enjoyed the scenes at the West Side Tennis Club, because it's a familiar place to me (I always get lost whenever I'm there), and I have some sympathy for Kaz and his superstitions. Mine are to have a bottle of Diet Sprite or Diet 7 Up with me, along with my water bottle; to not wear a skirt if I can get away with it; and to serve on the same side of the court throughout a match.

[Marcy McKaig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm still in the middle of this book. I just can't believe the editor didn't catch the misspelling of Chris Evert's name. That just blew me away! A few other things showed the author's lack of tennis experience -- like, at the beginning, (page 6), he talks about Manny hitting the racquet against his palm. Well, that's not what you do. You hit it against the heel of your hand. Those inaccuracies just drive me nuts.

[Colin Bruce Anthes · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Doubles, one can almost feel Nic Brown gradually falling in love with his characters. It begins rather technically, as if he doesn't yet know what he's writing about, and is making things happen to find out. But even as the plot works its way into a love triangle, rectangle, rhombus, the attachment to the characters continues to grow, and authenticity shines through the convoluted storyline as if it's altogether separate. On the last line there were tears in my eyes.

[Michael Holland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very moving, a rememberable combination of humor and sadness. I veiw the book as mostly funny and then Nic brings the hammer down at the end. A future classic, perhaps. There are many topics he touches on....relationships, sexuality, life, change, tennis!, etc...and it reminded me how special life is, and love, but not control.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A kooky bittersweet book about a guy who has never been without a partner in tennis or life, and is adrift without one. I got a kick out of the Chapel Hill landmarks, as I agree that the police station looks like a spaceship crashed into a hillside.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because it was about tennis. It really was the sad story one of doubles player who made some bad choices of friends and actions. I liked the women of the story, especially Anne, who took Polaroids every day. Of course she made some bad choices, too

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't count the number of times I put this book down, sometimes for weeks at a time. However, the protagonist, Slow, the relationships, the raw humanity always brought me back. At once heartwrenching and hilarious, this is some pretty great writing. I'll be back.

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars might be more fair. This was a very competently written book, nothing terribly wrong with it other than what seemed to me to be some questionable medical events, but it did not wow me and I suspect I will have forgotten it by next week.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed his first novel, but was disappointed in this one. However! The Chapel Hill details were kinda charming, especially when the character named Anne moves to Glenn Lennox and gets bird tattoos.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was excited to read a book described as 'part Irving, part Russo', but I was disappointed by Doubles. I"d rate it 2.5 stars if I could because there were some good characters and a powerful ending. But I recommend 'The Art of Fielding" as a much better book with similar themes.

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nearly every chapter closed with a poignantly cinematic image. I loved every character. Polaroid perfection. Long live monkey-style.

[Steve Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

I play a lot of doubles tennis, so I thought this was an interesting novel.

[Patty Busch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wacky and well written. Many of the characters were a little too weird for me and the level of sexual infidelity tested my patience. But I loved the ending which pushed my rating up a star.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought one of my friends had recommended this, but now I don't see the review. In any case, very disappointing. I hated all the characters and couldn't get interested in the story.

[Lettie Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK story. Not a page turner.