"Netherland: the odyssey of two brothers crossing the world in search of an African soccer prodigy who might change their fortunes. Mark, a millennial technical writer who lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Sushila, and their toddler daughter, grew up a world apart from his much younger half-brother Geoff. Raised in the UK by the mother who deserted Mark when she divorced his dad and married a richer man, Geoff is now a fast-talking soccer agent, who pulls Mark across the ocean into a scheme to find an elusive prospect known only as "Godwin"--an African teenager Geoff believes will be the next Pele. All they have to go on is a video of Godwin; they don't even know which country it was shot in. Narrated in turns by the intellectually rigorous yet self-thwarting Mark, and Lakesha Williams, the conscientious leader of the writers' collective where he works, the novel becomes a twisty international adventure that is part heart-of-darkness and part American Main Street in the 2010s--deliciously far-flung geographically, ethically, and emotionally. Godwin immerses us in the hazy world of high-stakes soccer-recruiting and the beautiful game itself, weaving the search for Godwin together with the moving story of Mark's mixed-race family and Lakesha's surprising path into their lives."-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.