Playing Days A Novel

Playing Days A Novel by Benjamin Markovits, published by Faber & Faber in 2010, is a literary work that explores the life of a young man navigating the uncertainties of adulthood. Fresh out of college, the narrator finds himself drawn to a career in professional basketball, a path once followed by his father. As he joins a minor league team in the small town of Landshut, Germany, he immerses himself in the sport while grappling with the challenges of isolation and the complexities of his new life.
Readers will encounter a richly detailed narrative that captures the nuances of early adulthood, including the excitement and disappointments of pursuing a dream. The story delves into the narrator’s evolving relationship with Anke, a young single mother and former wife of a teammate, highlighting the significance of personal connections amidst the backdrop of competitive sports. With its focus on themes of love, self-discovery, and the bittersweet nature of growing up, Playing Days offers a poignant reflection on the journey toward finding one’s place in the world. This edition spans 322 pages and is presented in English.
Official synopsis Publisher
Fresh out of college and uncertain how to proceed with life, the narrator of Ben Markovits’ Playing Days finds himself drifting towards a career that once obsessed his father – professional basketball. Gaining a place on a minor league German team, he leaves Texas and lands in the small rather desolate town of Landshut, playing basketball with an eclectic group of teammates, training for most of the day and then trying to find ways to fill the rest of it.
It’s an odd, isolated existence, punctuated by the intense excitement – and often intense disappointment – of the game. But then he meets Anke, a young single mother who happens to be the former wife of one of his teammates; and their tentative, burgeoning relationship becomes as significant and as life changing as the game itself.
Beautifully written, Playing Days is entirely recognisable in its depiction of the first long summer after university. Tinged with the melancholy and nostalgia of early steps into adulthood, it’s the story of a young man’s first experience of adult love, and of the discovery of his own limitations.
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