Most of all, it's about love and its effects, both positive and negative. Yet, seen through the eyes of a protagonist whose world, for almost his entire life, has been defined by tennis, we see the book's scenes played out like a tennis match. The author references repetition a lot and even forces most important moments into a sequence that Slow Smith uses to prepare his best shot, his serve – counting to nine. Each new episode in the book – each point – is different yet harks back to the previous. And, like in a match, the numerous re-occurrences build into a full unique story.   For the hardcore tennis fans, this book is a pleasure unlike many a frustrating experience with tennis fiction (remember Wimbledon, the film?) for its accuracy. For the vast majority of the book, every little detail, every reference to the ATP Tour and ATP Challenger circuit is accurate, from tournament schedules to the protected ranking rules. Unfortunately for the pickiest of readers, this degree of accuracy dissipated at the very end of the novel, where somehow fall tournaments in Casablanca and Sydney come into the picture. And while Brown had more than done his research, his copy editors may not have, with just a couple errors, like a misspelling of Chris Evert's name, creeping in.

Beyond the minutia of the ATP Tour, however, Brown also managed to convey the mixed feelings that serious fans and journeyman players must experience when faced with the perception of tennis among the general public. Like many of us, Slow pays attention to the rare mentions of tennis in unexpected contexts and feels that part of his personal world is being brought into the public light.

The author flawlessly relates the aggravation those with tennis knowledge face when speaking about the sport. A memorable episode in the book is a conversation the protagonist has with a stranger:

"Do you play?"
"Yeah."
"My cousin is a tennis pro outside Bowling Green."
"I play on tour mostly."
"What tour?"
"The ATP Tour."
"What's that?"
"It's the pro circuit."
"Do you know Preston Whittaker? That's my cousin."
"Did he play too?"
"Yeah, he's the pro. Outside Bowling Green."

Then, later:

"You ever go to Wimbledon?"
"Eight times."
...
"Who'd you beat at Wimbledon?"
"Last year I beat Aspelin and Perry," I said, which was true. It was a career highlight.
"Who was harder?"
"They are both hard. They're a doubles team. I play doubles."
"I thought you meant Wimbledon."

There are also sly nods to the actual tennis world. I'll let you figure out the passing reference to a young African-American player who wears studs in both ears, a twin Asian doubles team, and, perhaps easier to pick up, a top US doubles team of easy-going look-alike Simon brothers. Other tennis characters are harder to decipher and may be purely fictional, but it's fun to keep guessing.

Brown's plot is quirky, and can be bizarre at times, but it will even draw in those readers who can't identify with the main characters. The author's tone blends humor and emotion in perfect doses, equally adept at creating palpable moments of awkwardness and comfort, misery and excitement. In the end, while Slow Smith's experiences may be atypical, his feelings, call it a search for self, or a loss of self, will likely reach you. And even if you can't quite relate to Slow Smith, Doubles will help put "human faces" on those guys who look familiar but whose names you can't remember, slugging away on Court 4 when you are on your way to see Novak Djokovic on a show court at the US Open.

 

 

 

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