Sports fans will find much to relate to in The Season, a memoir from Australian novelist Helen Garner (The Children's Bach; How to End a Story). At 80, "the age at which my mother died demented," Garner needed hearing aids and was losing her eyesight but loved being "a hands-on nanna who by some unimaginable miracle was invited to buy the house next door, knock down the fence, and become part of family life." She wanted to become better acquainted with her 15-year-old grandson, Amby, who played Australian football, or footy, as it's known. She asked him if she could attend his training sessions and matches. He agreed. So, with a "brand-new notebook hidden in the back pocket of my overalls," she penned her observations from the sidelines during the seven-month season.
The result is this tender book, a "record of a season we are spending together before he turns into a man and I die." Fans of Garner's work will recognize familiar elements, from the spare prose to doubts about her writing, as when she asks, regarding this memoir, "Am I wasting my time?" Although one's appreciation for the book may be enhanced by familiarity with Australian football, laypeople will still respond to the emotions on display, such as teenager Amby's frustrations with romance and, most prominently, Garner's concern for his safety, such as when she sees players smashing into each other, including a head butt that "makes me sick to my stomach," looks at muscular Amby, and thinks, "I wish he could be bulletproof." Fans of families will understand. --Michael Magras, freelance book reviewer