This book is a prime example of why good story-telling is more important than a good idea. I loved the idea of this book. I wanted to love this book. It wasn't wholly unique, but it took an idea I love to hate -- that of a father suddenly discovering a child after x many years -- and made it more palatable by having the culprit (the boy's mother, who never told the man he was having a baby), die in a car crash. Her sister, Kate, raised Ben from the time he was a baby, and never knew who the father was. She didn't particularly care, either, but I couldn't complain about that. :)

So in the first chapter, through a fluke of fate, a man recognizes the child and tells Daniel, the Yankee's star pitcher, that he has a son. (Actually, the man tries to blackmail Daniel into keeping the information from the mom, thinking he wouldn't have to pay millions in child support. The idea backfires.)

The biggest problem I hate with the story was that I didn't like Kate. I didn't hate her, I just didn't really like her. That's almost worse than hating her, really. She was cold, selfish, and incredibly narrow-minded. She seemed to have a lot of prejudiced beliefs, which makes sense, since she didn't know many people or let them close -- so she has to rely on prejudices to imagine what people are like. She loves only a handful of people, and doesn't need or want anyone else. I'd even like to say that those she loves, she loves fiercely, and I suppose that's true, but it felt to me like she always cared more about her own happiness than anyone else's. She panics at the thought that her mother might get remarried, leaving her alone -- it's all about her, and not at all about her mother, who's been alone for 10 years and is only in her 50's.


Daniel suffered from TGTBT syndrom -- too good to be true. From the moment he learned about having a son, he was like daddy of the year. His relationship with Ben came about effortlessly, without any hiccups. It probably helped that his son knew of him (from watching baseball), but even if a boy discovers his father is a sports hero, it doesn't make everything perfect. Daniel was just the all-understanding one. He doesn't even do things like buy his son expensive gifts (except on Christmas).


I felt like the story relied on false dramatic moments -- a friend's death, a fight with cancer, etc. There was plenty of drama in the original setup -- a man is cheated out of having a son for 7 years and now wants to find a way to be a part of the boy's life. Of course, the drama of that situation would rely on complex characters, even in the form of a 7-year-old boy. (Why do people think children don't need characterization?)