The Backlot Gay Book Forum discussion

All Smith’s titles I’ve read to date have been about families - families who love and support and those who abuse and reject. Families of origin and those of made of choice from studies, work or through just being strange-bedfellows. His themes are generally about overcoming fear and self-doubt, accepting one’s weaknesses, forgiving self and others, making new starts and letting go of past hurts and wrongs, running away and coming back home. One can’t go wrong with such themes really and Smith is a master at working these through diverse characters and plot settings.

The Last Day Of Summer is going to do for baseball what Tigers and Devils did for Aussie Rules Football. Significant detail is provided on the intricacies of the game – both on the playing field as well as behind the scenes (read in locker rooms, recovery treatment rooms, on-the-road hotel rooms etc). Whilst I am not an avid baseball fan, I wasn’t bored by the sporting aspects of the story – these were integral to the dance of attraction between our two MCs. The game talk, logistics and stats formed an good foil/backdrop to the romance thread of the tale – reminding me of many of Steve Kluger’s books.

Rett Dougherty has pulled himself up from dire circumstances to successfully graduate as a physical therapist (albeit up to his eyeballs in student debt). His newfound career has been sketchy at best and his love-life a series of disasters. He’s been living with / off his best friend Val for the past several years and the two have a strong connection – the potty mouth banter between these two have to be read to be believed!

Escaping the complications of his latest doomed relationship, Rett applies for a vaguely advertised physical therapist position not even knowing where it is to be located – the interviews are being held in an Alabama hotel quite a drive away. Beyond his wildest imaginings – Rett is offered a position with the local baseball team – the Mobile Joes, accepted despite his lack of knowledge about the sport and his even less enthusiasm about sports in general (thanks to his painful childhood and family background).

On that same day, one Corey Pritchard has just being draft-selected into the Mobile Joes team. J F Smith fans may remember Corey as a significant minor character from his Falling Off The Face of The Earth – albeit all grown up now. The two team newbies/rookies bond tentatively and thus begins their mutual dance of attraction – one which is severely hampered by the secrecy of their growing friendship / romance … the ramifications of being outed whilst playing in a league-game team are all too clear to both guys. Adding to the romance roadblock are Rett’s own insecurities, his emotional brokenness and inner tendency to run away from relational difficulties. Of course misunderstandings ensue – what successful romance doesn’t involve a couple of these … and I did want to smack Rett several times for his obtuse refusal to bring forth his inner worries and subsequent misconceptions about how things lie between him and Corey.

Since Corey is in this story – several favourite characters from the town of Lawder (featured in Falling Off The Face of The Earth) eventually make a reappearance as well – James, Brick, Police Chief Pritchard, Zee). And like the military-based Latakia – where the story environment is primarily hostile to being out and gay, support from gay-friendly allies can be found from unlikely baseball teammates and staff. Larger than life characters populate the tale – even the bad-guys / bullies are quite well developed character-wise; look out for the team’s business manager's secretary (wow!).

Smith doesn’t fail to break open my tear-gates … happened several times starting from mid-way through the book in fact. The romance elements are wonderfully done, the connection between Corey and Rett, between them and their friends and family members … memorable. Rett’s redemptive process and desperate courage to salvage his relationship when all his chips are down – I was emotionally there with Rett through the growing-up pains! The good news is that the ending is just as good as those found in Falling Off The Face of The Earth and Latakia. Thank you Mr Smith.

PaperMoon has reviewed this title very nicely, so all I’ll add here is that I agree with him---I thought this was a splendid story. And one that can be enjoyed by anyone---no knowledge of baseball required. Heck, even though I’m not interested in the sport and it must be thirty years since I last took part in a baseball game, I found even the bits of the story that were specifically about baseball to be both interesting and easy to understand.

While for all practical purposes this reads as a stand-alone novel, don't forget that strictly speaking it is a sequel to Falling Off the Face of the Earth. And so, if you want to know a little more about Cory’s background, you should read that book as well. However, it is in no way necessary to have read it before starting this one.

I’ve been most impressed with the work of J.F. Smith---this author is pretty much an auto-buy for me at this point.

I really like Smith's books - have enjoyed all of them (and wrote to him, when I was still doing that!). This one also faces the whole "professional sports star coming out" issue - and basically takes the position that it can't happen. What the book doesn't deal with - and perhaps will later in another volume - is the impact of keeping secrets on both the couple and on the couple's families. A book dealing with the damage caused by the closet for athletes could be very good.

I think a professional fallout sequel will be interesting - especially in the hands of an author like Smith. I'd like to compare the storyline to that of Sean Kennedy's Tigers and Devils, especially since the latter was written quite some time ago and in light of significantly greater tolerance/acceptance of gay professional sportspeople today. I think I read somewhere that several gay pro players are being 'groomed' to come out simultaneously.

The most important line in this book is in the very first part - in the prologue. Rett Dougherty, as a child, says to himself after another crushing emotional defeat at the hands of his parents: "But all he learned was that arguing was stupid. Getting people to see your point of view didn't work."

Thing is, we don't know how important that line is until the end.

But, for all the expected, gently and discreetly handled romantic arc of this couple's romance (there is no real sex described in this book, unusual and possibly welcome for the genre), it is, ultimately, not really about Cory and Rett as a couple struggling against the world's prejudice. The story, surprisingly to me at least, is about Rett's own struggle to understand and face up to the demons that have not only damaged his life, but have hurt others along the way, and threaten to take away everything he loves. His parents may be the tools that started the damage, but his own responsibility is, in the end, the crucial key.

I"ve read and thoroughly enjoyed all of Mr. Smith's books. This is no exception. I thought it was well-written, engaging and could not put it down (when I'm up all night reading that is a pretty good indication). Would love to read a sequel (mentioned above) dealing with the fallout.