The Heart of the Order

A sharply observed debut novel that signals a significant voice in contemporary fiction, The Heart of the Order follows a ballplayer as he takes time to mend―physically and emotionally―from a spectacular injury.

Blake Alexander―“Xandy” to his teammates and fans―is the starting leftfielder for the Carolina Birds of the National League South, until a knee injury in Cincinnati leaves him facing a summer of rehab and a career in doubt. Eager to occupy himself around game time, Xandy trades his glove for an Acer laptop, and each night before first pitch, he settles into a lounger behind his borrowed house to write. What emerges from Xandy’s patio sessions is a series of reflections on the game he loves and beyond―from losing streaks to bullpen phones to his beguiling physical therapist, Jenn, who (like a third base coach) keeps giving him signs he can’t quite read. A winning narrator, with an observational style honed over years spent judging the spin on fly balls, Xandy shines as a fresh and memorable voice in American fiction.

Theo Schell-Lambert’s essays and fiction have appeared in the Believer, the Village Voice, the San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Day One, and other publications. The Heart of the Order is his first novel. He lives in New Orleans.