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The Mighty Oak
Tim O’Connor is paid to be violent. He plays for the El Paso Storm in the West Texas Hockey League. People call him Oak. He’s been an enforcer for longer than his hip or shoulder or back have been able to hold together. He is a broken machine of gristle and rage. And he has been away from home for too long.
He’s called back to Boston by his mother’s death. There he confronts a life he failed to live, a daughter he doesn’t know, and a body that is quickly breaking down. Still, he can’t conceive of a future without hockey, even as he chews oxycodone and Adderall to numb his injuries and steady his brain. When a brutal encounter with the police places him in the path of Joan Linney, a haunted public defender, and Kip, a boy with a brave face, Oak and his chance companions roam cold streets from Castle Island to Quincy Point, struggling to believe in a different future.
In spare, potent language, Jeff W. Bens builds a remarkable character from the skates up. The Mighty Oak is a visceral and emotional experience. The fact of Oak’s physical existence is powerfully rendered, and the bone-deep transformation of his character is one you will not soon forget.
He’s called back to Boston by his mother’s death. There he confronts a life he failed to live, a daughter he doesn’t know, and a body that is quickly breaking down. Still, he can’t conceive of a future without hockey, even as he chews oxycodone and Adderall to numb his injuries and steady his brain. When a brutal encounter with the police places him in the path of Joan Linney, a haunted public defender, and Kip, a boy with a brave face, Oak and his chance companions roam cold streets from Castle Island to Quincy Point, struggling to believe in a different future.
In spare, potent language, Jeff W. Bens builds a remarkable character from the skates up. The Mighty Oak is a visceral and emotional experience. The fact of Oak’s physical existence is powerfully rendered, and the bone-deep transformation of his character is one you will not soon forget.
300 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 9, 2023
"The Mighty Oak" is a brilliantly-crafted impossible-to-stop-reading tale about a down-on-his-luck minor league hockey player. Tim O'Connor, aka Oak, is a lifetime minor leaguer, battered, beaten, bloodied, after a career as an enforcer on the ice, committed to putting on a show for the audience, a bloody show resulting in an opponent possibly being permanently scarred or missing an eye, a tooth, or other body parts. On the ice, Oak is Mike Tyson taking down Holyfield. He's an unstoppable force, chugging oxy and dexy and numbing himself to any pain. But as this point he's a broken wreck and he's taken far too many blows to the head.
A return home with his mother's death ought to be a chance to come to terms with his karma, but Oak only falls further and further into the pit of despair, lashing out at everything. Desperate for another chance and unable to pick himself up.
The story could've been about any sad sack end of the line boxer, wrestler, or Minot league footballer, giving up all for a chance to be in the game and seeing double because of all the hits. It may not matter what sport he played. What matters though is how good the action is, how compelling the story is, and how it's so much more than the run of the mill born loser story. This one's got what it takes.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
A return home with his mother's death ought to be a chance to come to terms with his karma, but Oak only falls further and further into the pit of despair, lashing out at everything. Desperate for another chance and unable to pick himself up.
The story could've been about any sad sack end of the line boxer, wrestler, or Minot league footballer, giving up all for a chance to be in the game and seeing double because of all the hits. It may not matter what sport he played. What matters though is how good the action is, how compelling the story is, and how it's so much more than the run of the mill born loser story. This one's got what it takes.
Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.
January 19, 2021
Oak heads down Broadway, people 'eye-popping' him, getting out of his way; he's big, his face is scarred and freshly scabbed, and his nose long ago became a flat mess . . . -- the start of chapter 3
The Mighty Oak is probably one of the more refreshingly original and offbeat fiction books that I've read in quite awhile, all the more so with its sometimes charmingly lunkheaded-but-well meaning protagonist who spectacularly screws up (as in Defcon level-4 mistakes) as much as he will achieve a minor moral victory. It's set in the distinct working-class neighborhoods of Boston - where authors like Dennis Lehane routinely churn out the grittiness in detective stories - but here author Bens deftly dabbles in all sorts of the genres like family drama, romance, crime, sports, etc. for his tale.
Tim O'Connor, known by all as "Oak" (a bastardization of his surname), is a thirty year-old enforcer or 'goon' for a minor-league hockey team in a Texas border town, who abuses medication while living in near-constant discomfort from a career of accumulated injuries. After learning of the passing of his mother, he administers a horrifying on-ice beatdown to a player on a rival team before the match even properly begins. Oak then heads back to his Boston hometown for the funeral, where he attempts to reconnect with an ex-girlfriend and his now-teenage daughter whom he barely knows. Sounds typical or underwhelming, right? Well, the strength of the book is the way the narrative then goes just a little sideways - in fact, stubbornly refusing to lock into predictability - with Oak getting involved in dubious situations that bring him into contact with characters like a widowed public defender and an abused teenage boy. It was an unusually involving yet low-key story, where actual redemption is unlikely, but the small miracle just may be getting to see the next day's sunrise.
The Mighty Oak is probably one of the more refreshingly original and offbeat fiction books that I've read in quite awhile, all the more so with its sometimes charmingly lunkheaded-but-well meaning protagonist who spectacularly screws up (as in Defcon level-4 mistakes) as much as he will achieve a minor moral victory. It's set in the distinct working-class neighborhoods of Boston - where authors like Dennis Lehane routinely churn out the grittiness in detective stories - but here author Bens deftly dabbles in all sorts of the genres like family drama, romance, crime, sports, etc. for his tale.
Tim O'Connor, known by all as "Oak" (a bastardization of his surname), is a thirty year-old enforcer or 'goon' for a minor-league hockey team in a Texas border town, who abuses medication while living in near-constant discomfort from a career of accumulated injuries. After learning of the passing of his mother, he administers a horrifying on-ice beatdown to a player on a rival team before the match even properly begins. Oak then heads back to his Boston hometown for the funeral, where he attempts to reconnect with an ex-girlfriend and his now-teenage daughter whom he barely knows. Sounds typical or underwhelming, right? Well, the strength of the book is the way the narrative then goes just a little sideways - in fact, stubbornly refusing to lock into predictability - with Oak getting involved in dubious situations that bring him into contact with characters like a widowed public defender and an abused teenage boy. It was an unusually involving yet low-key story, where actual redemption is unlikely, but the small miracle just may be getting to see the next day's sunrise.
October 26, 2020
Sequel? Please?
July 29, 2020
"The movies never, ever talk about the grind. Oak doesn't blame them. Who wants to see that for ten bucks?"
I didn't expect to like The Mighty Oak as much as I did.
The main character Tim aka Oak is a classic hockey goon, the enforcer, the guy who starts and finishes fights in the game, and off the ice is trying to work hard to have a better life. He grew up dreaming of playing in the NHL and instead has spent a lifetime playing in minor leagues and trying to stay above paying to play in a beer league. Along the way, he's had various injuries and in turn, developed an addiction to painkillers. He's got an ex and a kid back home who he hasn't seen in years and some foggy concussion memories of some bad past incidents.
When his mother dies and he decides to go home to Boston for her funeral he's contemplating how to get off the drugs and have a future without hockey. He can't envision what that means for him, but he knows his body just can't take it anymore.
I really enjoyed this look inside the head of a guy who you so rarely read about in fiction. He's very real and I felt his pain and grief in a visceral way. If this was a movie they wouldn't focus on his past or the fact he continues to make bad decisions, but instead about the underdog's way to redemption through love...which it is, just told in a much more realistic fashion where everyone is flawed. The cast of characters is an interesting mishmash of folks and I didn't see the ending coming.
A true tale of modern-day perseverance from a writer I'll be following.
If you like older coming-of-age/changing type stories, violence, hockey and want something like a Mark Wahlberg movie but without a corny ending this is the book for you,
4.5 stars rounded up.
I didn't expect to like The Mighty Oak as much as I did.
The main character Tim aka Oak is a classic hockey goon, the enforcer, the guy who starts and finishes fights in the game, and off the ice is trying to work hard to have a better life. He grew up dreaming of playing in the NHL and instead has spent a lifetime playing in minor leagues and trying to stay above paying to play in a beer league. Along the way, he's had various injuries and in turn, developed an addiction to painkillers. He's got an ex and a kid back home who he hasn't seen in years and some foggy concussion memories of some bad past incidents.
When his mother dies and he decides to go home to Boston for her funeral he's contemplating how to get off the drugs and have a future without hockey. He can't envision what that means for him, but he knows his body just can't take it anymore.
I really enjoyed this look inside the head of a guy who you so rarely read about in fiction. He's very real and I felt his pain and grief in a visceral way. If this was a movie they wouldn't focus on his past or the fact he continues to make bad decisions, but instead about the underdog's way to redemption through love...which it is, just told in a much more realistic fashion where everyone is flawed. The cast of characters is an interesting mishmash of folks and I didn't see the ending coming.
A true tale of modern-day perseverance from a writer I'll be following.
If you like older coming-of-age/changing type stories, violence, hockey and want something like a Mark Wahlberg movie but without a corny ending this is the book for you,
4.5 stars rounded up.
September 4, 2020
The Mighty Oak was a difficult read for me. I have been trying to expand a bit more into the fields of literary and general fiction and this was how I came to read The Mighty Oak. However, I had a very hard time getting into the story, and struggled basically to finish it.
The main character was very unlikable. He is basically hired muscle who is still reminiscing his now-over ice hockey career and sort of struggling to find out who he is or who wants to be in the remainder of his life. Actions in the book are set in motion through the dead of his mother and he subsequently also meets his estranged daughter again.
For me it didn’t work, as I didn’t like the character and his attempts to redeem himself. The events in the book also didn’t make sense to me. This book just was not for me.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Find this and other reviews on my blog https://www.urlphantomhive.com
The main character was very unlikable. He is basically hired muscle who is still reminiscing his now-over ice hockey career and sort of struggling to find out who he is or who wants to be in the remainder of his life. Actions in the book are set in motion through the dead of his mother and he subsequently also meets his estranged daughter again.
For me it didn’t work, as I didn’t like the character and his attempts to redeem himself. The events in the book also didn’t make sense to me. This book just was not for me.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Find this and other reviews on my blog https://www.urlphantomhive.com
January 21, 2021
One of those stories where you keep begging the “hero” to stop being an idiot. And cringe every time he walks into a situation. Mr. Bens has created one of the best failed characters ever. Oak is the result of a lifestyle started as a kid and has no one to help guide him differently. He knows who to care about but doesn’t know how! A struggling minor league hockey goon that thinks “taking someone out” is how the game is played and has transferred that mentality to everyday life. This is a good one.
December 8, 2020
I held my breath from page one until the last with not knowing which way Tim O'Connor's decision making was going to take him. The whole story teeters on the choices Tim makes and it was terrifying.
I love Tim flaws and all. It was painful to watch him struggle while attempting to get things right, right old wrongs, fit into a life he had no skills for, and figure out what to do with skills he had which were no longer of value - actually a detriment - off the ice.
What a balancing job by Jeff W. Bens. A little more violence this way or a little more softness that way would have made Tim unbelievable and unlovable, however; Tim is drawn to perfection - I desperately wanted him to succeed.
Also, this story does not contain one unnecessary word - not one. So there is no time for your mind to wander. To rest. No break in the action. 100% total engagement 100% of the time. You will not want to start this book Sunday night if you have to work on Monday.
Thank you Jeff W. Bens for an exquisite piece of entertainment and bringing Tim O'Connor into my life. :)
I love Tim flaws and all. It was painful to watch him struggle while attempting to get things right, right old wrongs, fit into a life he had no skills for, and figure out what to do with skills he had which were no longer of value - actually a detriment - off the ice.
What a balancing job by Jeff W. Bens. A little more violence this way or a little more softness that way would have made Tim unbelievable and unlovable, however; Tim is drawn to perfection - I desperately wanted him to succeed.
Also, this story does not contain one unnecessary word - not one. So there is no time for your mind to wander. To rest. No break in the action. 100% total engagement 100% of the time. You will not want to start this book Sunday night if you have to work on Monday.
Thank you Jeff W. Bens for an exquisite piece of entertainment and bringing Tim O'Connor into my life. :)
September 14, 2020
Tim O'Connor- Oak- is one of the most damaged heroes you will ever read. A former junior hockey star, he's been on the way down for the last years and now he's riddled with CTE, a multitude of injuries, and addicted to drugs. The death of his mother sends him home to Southie, to the daughter he doesn't know, Slats the former best friend married to his ex, and the various characters who abounded in his life. A chance encounter rescuing a kid being beaten ends with Oak in jail and defended by Anna, a wealthy attorney doing pro bono work and coping with her own demons. The kid- Kip- is Oak's salvation in a way but he's a mess too. Slats finds jobs for Oak but well, that's not good and only leads him deeper into the abyss. Kip, however, resonates with Oak. These are incredibly well drawn characters (I also liked Estaban) and it hits deep in the heart of Southie and the men who play hockey. Don't worry if you don't know the game-you'll be fine. This is gritty and dark and there's a surprise around many corners. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. This wasn't at all my usual sort of read but I really enjoyed it. It's tough but terrific; Oak and Kip will stay with me for a long time.
June 9, 2020
The Mighty Oak was a wonderful read! It moved swiftly and kept me engaged as it raced to the final buzzer/pg.
Tim O'Connor, a vengeful & violent hockey showman, can't help but put on the same brutal show off the ice when he returns home for a family tragedy. A seemingly wrecked bag of bones barely holding together, you feel he's bound to crumble at any moment as he befriends some and bruises many. Chugging pills and giving out tough love, he inadvertently dishes fatherly advice to a befriended troubled kid while trying to get back into his estranged daughter's graces.
A gracefully written story about someone who uses few words. I'd highly recommend this to anyone, not just lovers of the sports story genre. Sport here is just a backdrop for the very personal elements of Tim and his past he's trying to face.
Tim O'Connor, a vengeful & violent hockey showman, can't help but put on the same brutal show off the ice when he returns home for a family tragedy. A seemingly wrecked bag of bones barely holding together, you feel he's bound to crumble at any moment as he befriends some and bruises many. Chugging pills and giving out tough love, he inadvertently dishes fatherly advice to a befriended troubled kid while trying to get back into his estranged daughter's graces.
A gracefully written story about someone who uses few words. I'd highly recommend this to anyone, not just lovers of the sports story genre. Sport here is just a backdrop for the very personal elements of Tim and his past he's trying to face.
June 17, 2020
Step inside the worn skates of aging hockey minor-leaguer Tim O'Connor, a paid enforcer who leaves one too many damaged brains on the ice, not least his own. With lean, lyrical, and beautifully bruising language, Jeff W. Bens delivers a complex and inarticulate character who's trapped in a brutal cycle of rage, addiction, fading ambitions, and lost connections. In this essential, driving novel, Bens takes us underneath the Mighty Oak's rough bark as he is forced to reckon with the heartwood inside.
December 22, 2020
If i were in a position to option this story for a film, i would jump on it.
December 26, 2020
Heavy and unpredictable.
February 15, 2024
Character study in what makes a person change their path.
Read
October 11, 2020Reviewed by Si Dunn for Lone Star Literary Life.
May 25, 2021
Probably more like a 3.5. Couldn't put it down, thoroughly enjoyable. Also could not differentiate from a romance. . .tough loner dude with commitment issues falls for a woman grieving a loss. . .plus some hockey and lots of Boston accents.
May 30, 2021
3.5 stars. Enjoyable read. Visits uncommon territory- a near end of the road tale of a minor league hockey enforcer. Many worthwhile elements. An odd array of characters- all believable and well portrayed.
May 8, 2025
What a terrific book. Hard hitting. Spare. Thoroughly unsentimental, yet emotionally impactful. Great characters. Reminded me of 'The Friends of Eddie Coyle'—that other thoroughly unsentimental, hard hitting, spare book of the Boston at the other end of the universe from Harvard, the Museum of Fine Arts and the Brahmins. Kem Nunn's fabulous 'Pomona Queen' as well. This is prose with grit, and heart and poetry. Real life in other words. Exceptional.
May 28, 2025
Tim O'Connor is a thoughtful character, conflicted by what he grew up doing, was trained to do. It's easy to cringe at his decisions, and still care about the life he is trying to rectify. The portrait of South Boston is well done. It suits the characters and their flaws, and the cycle of addiction that haunts Oak is all too real. The Mighty Oak is a fun book, funny and yet sad, but ultimately stirs emotions in the right way to want to pick this book back up again soon.
January 29, 2023
The Mighty Oak had all the right people, places and actions. It just never came together for me.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews