The Penalty Area
| Category: | Book |
| Translated By: | Curtis, Howard |
| By (author): | Gillot, Alain |
| Subject: | FICTION / In Translation / French |
| FICTION / Literary | |
| FICTION / Medical | |
| FICTION / Sports | |
| Publisher: | Europa Editions |
| Published: | September 2016 |
| Format: | Book-paperback |
| Pages: | 192 |
| Size: | 8.25in x 5.25in |
- Our Price:
- $ 22.00
- Availability:
- Available to order
Additional Notes
| From The Publisher* | The Penalty Area is a heartwarming novel about overcoming adversity, making human connections, and playing the glorious game of soccer. Vincent once had a shot at becoming a professional soccer player, but a career-ending injury put an end to his dreams. A tough kid from a poor family, he has become an emotionally cut-off man with frustrated hopes and limited options. He finds himself coaching an under-16 soccer club in an attempt to keep alive his only passion in life. The team he coaches is little more than a roster of hotheaded boys, none of whom understands the on-field chemistry needed to win. Simply put, they aren't of a championship caliber. When his unemployed sister Madeleine, a single mother, dumps her thirteen-year-old son on him, Vincent panics. With no clue how to take care of a teenager, he brings his nephew to practice and eventually throws him into the scrimmage. It's then that Vincent notices there's something strange about Léonard. He has a preternatural ability for anticipating each striker's intentions, making him a remarkably talented goalkeeper, but he seems detached, absent, lost. It becomes clear that Léonard has undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome, and also that, with Léonard's abilities as a goalkeeper, Vincent's ragtag team has a chance to reach the finals. For that to happen, for the team to find a reason to rally behind this strange kid from Paris, Vincent will have to let down his guard and open his heart for the first time ever. A warm and engaging read, The Penalty Area is about building a sense of family on your own terms. |
| Review Quote* | Praise for The Penalty Area "Expertly translated by Curtis, Gillot's novel about soccer is about more than the bruising arena of competitive sports. It is also a delicate character study of a solitary man slowly rejoining the world." -Publishers Weekly "A slim, understated novel of nicely drawn vignettes." -Kirkus Reviews "Gillot tells a fresh, original story and writes with finesse." -L'Express "Gillot's enthusiasm for sport emerges early as he tenderly and humorously describes Léonard's discovery of soccer, a revelation that is reminiscent of Lionel Messi's story . . . Léonard and Vincent bring each other fresh perspectives on their situations, allowing each to begin a new life by repairing the wounds of the past." -Le Monde |
| Biographical Note | Alain Gillot is an admired journalist, a screenwriter, and a comic book author. The Penalty Area is his debut novel. |