The Death of Baseball – Orlando Ortega-Medina

On the outset The Death of Baseball seems to be a weirdfest, It’s not every day a reader gets a monologue from Marilyn Monroe claiming that when she died she was reborn into the body of a boy, but as one proceeds more themes start to emerge from the book.

The main one is identity; the two main characters in The Death of Baseball, Clyde and Raphael both struggle to maintain an identity. In Clyde’s case, he thinks he’s the reincarnation of Marilyn Monroe. He is also Asian growing up in a rough household. Raphael is a Jewish immigrant who copes with being both an American and a Jew by theft and using people. Both suffer severe consequences for their actions, leaving a trail of destruction behind them.. Also both boys are gay and struggling to accept it.

Eventually these two misfits meet and once again their identity problems both unites and disunites them. Clyde wants revenge on is father for treating him badly, while Raphael in his typical user fashion is fascinated by Clyde’s obsession with Marilyn Monroe and wants him for a documentary that he’s going to film (unbeknownst to Clyde). It can only lead to disaster.

Other themes that are present are gender fluidity, culture , religion and cinema, or at least the illusion that cinema provides . Both characters are fascinated by movies and sometimes incorporate famous movie plots and iconic fashions in their way of thinking. Clyde has got Marilyn Monroe and Raphael dresses like Alex from Kubrick’s adaptation of A Clockwork Orange. Other movies make their appearance but it’s more fun for the reader to discover these.

At times the book is controversial, sometimes even eyebrow raising but most of the time it works. There were a couple of descriptions of women in the Raphael narratives in the beginning which I did not like- I think the expression ‘creamy breasts’ should have never been used.

On the whole The Death of Baseball is a page turner and will keep the reader gripped. I also did like the fact that one learns about Jewish culture extensively so I gained quite a bit in the process. This is a novel that will surprise the reader in many ways and give food for thought as well.

Many thanks to Cloud Lodge for providing a requested copy of The Death of Baseball in exchange for an honest review.