Godwin

(Hardback)

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The return of Joseph ONeill, with a story on the scale of the international phenomenon Netherland: the odyssey of two brothers crossing the world in search of an African soccer prodigy who might change their fortunes.

A fantastic novel, brilliantly crafted MARCUS DU SAUTOY
Mark Wolfe, a brilliant if self-thwarting technical writer, lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Sushila, and their toddler daughter. His half-brother Geoff, born and raised in the UK, is a desperate young soccer agent. He pulls Mark across the ocean into a scheme to track down an elusive prospect known only as Godwin an African teenager Geoff believes could be the next Messi.

Narrated in turn by Mark and his work colleague Lakesha Williams, the novel is both a tale of family and migration, and an international adventure story that implicates the brothers in the beauty and ugliness of soccer, the perils and promises of international business, and the dark history of transatlantic money-making.

As only he can do, Joseph O'Neill investigates the legacy of colonialism in the context of family love, global capitalism, and the dreaming individual.

Reviews

'Exciting and incisive As ONeill artfully pairs the thrill of the hunt for Godwin with the complex politics of cooperative work, the driving force that connects the twinned narratives is the corruptive power of capitalism. This has all the velocity and swerve of an unstoppable free kick' Publishers Weekly

'At once a minute, hilariously observed, and poignant workplace novel about Pittsburg, and a sweeping postcolonial picaresque novel about the grim fringes of the global soccer industry, replete with laugh-out-loud observations, gorgeously turned phrases, and exhilarating dialogue, pervaded by a winning sense of exasperated humanism. The whole time I was reading, I was thinking "I wish there were more books like this"' Elif Batuman, author of Either/Or

'This novel is so much frickin fun to read that I didnt want it to end. What chops! What voices! And what an entertainingly dark vision. Do you need to know football (aka soccer) No! But if you know a little football, you absolutely have to read this. Whats it like Nothing except maybe Heart of Darkness and Marlow and Joseph Conrad at his best. What an achievement. Among the best novels Ive read in a long time' Bill Buford, author of Among the Thug

A fantastic novel, brilliantly crafted, using such a clever lens to explore the world of football I loved it Marcus du Sautoy, author of Around the World in 80 Games

'ONeill has a gift for finding humor in emotional stress, and it shines An astonishing marathon of storytelling that highlights the avarice of sports recruitment and the legacy of colonialism Another exceptional entry in the ONeill corpus' Kirkus Reviews

Author Bio

Joseph ONeill is an Irish barrister living in New York. He is the author of two other novels, Netherland, which was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and This is the Life, and a memoir, Blood-Dark Track.