For a book which has at its centre an entrepreneur (Chuck Ramkisson) with the unlikely ambition of establishing a New York cricket arena in the post 9/11 city, the biggest question this novel begs for me is why the 4th Estate British Edition has an image of an ice skater on the cover while the American image features the correct sport. Perhaps to British readers ice skating is more exotic and to American readers cricket has some quaint appeal.
Either way this proves to be one of the most interesting aspects to what I found a dull read.
Maybe l missed something. After all, renowned critic James Woods and respected author Jonathan Safran Foer both praise the novel.
The title is a play on words since it describes the limbo land of the main character Dutchman, Hans, as well as referencing his nationality. He’s a banker so is relatively well off but his personal life is in shambles. His marriage is on the rocks and his mother has just died. The story is mainly centred on New York but begins and ends in London. Hans takes solace in the very non- US sport saying at one point that “cricket memories were like sexual memories” which says a lot about his sadness and confusion. I think mainly the fact that I couldn’t identify with this character is why I lost interest about a thrd of the way in.
Joseph O’connor is another author who heaps praise on the book saying “that it is hard to put down” – I found the opposite to be true.
