The Sportswriter

The Sportswriter (1986) by Richard Ford. Frank Bascombe, the first-person hero of "The Sportswriter," believes that, "for your life to be worth anything you must sooner or later face the possibility of terrible, searing regret." Having lost a son to disease and a wife to divorce, he has plenty to regret, but professes not to be disappointed in life and to still be an optimist. We can only admire his spirit as he struggles through a few days in his life, with all their attendant memories. Grade: B+