Bookshelf review: Home, Away

by Jeff Gillenkirk. Chin Music Press, 2010

Just in time for Father’s Day, Home, Away is the tale of the sacrifices we make for our children.

In the case, it’s a multi-million dollar contract that pitcher Jason Thibodeuax is giving up to raise his wayward son, Rafe, the product of the first romantic encounter the athlete had with his soon-to-be ex-wife while they were in college.

Thibodeuax, a can’t miss athlete, willingly and touchingly gives up an important year of eligibility to raise the boy so Vicki can complete her pre-law studies. But the marriage falls apart when she reneges on their agreement that she be a stay-at-home mom so Jason can return to the college diamond and prepare for what should be a top selection in the Major League draft. The ensuing proceedings are ugly and raw as mom uses her legal background to see severely limit Jason’s connection with his son.

Home, Away takes place over the course of Rafe’s childhood and adolescence, with starts and stops between father and son as they reunite and separate time and again in various configurations of visitation and custody issues. It’s a constant dilemma for the rising major leaguer who wants to have it all — the stardom and the family life with his son — but realizes it’s an impossibility, despite all best efforts and intentions.

The emotions are raw between the trio, with no one coming out a winner. The years fly by and Rafe’s troubles escalate and Jason sees there’s only one way to straighten out the kid: give up the game he loves so he can be there for his son. The long-term results are at once surprising and, to a least a little degree, predictable at the same time, which doesn’t detract from the reader’s experience.

Gillenkirk, an award-winning journalist, presents his first novel with a deft and realistic touch. Raising a child is it a tough row to hoe in the best of circumstances, and in the end you can only hope for a certain degree of contentment, if not downright happiness, for everyone involved.

(Note: The above link to Chin Music Press includes an excerpt from Home, Away.)