Lire Saved (2007), de Jack Falla, pour ses qualités romanesques serait une erreur : c’est surcousu de fil blanc.
En revanche, il y a nombre de phrases parfaitement justes sur le monde du hockey, dans la bouche d’un narrateur gardien de but. Ci-dessous, un florilège (incomplet).
«Every shot is a snowflake. No two are alike» (p. 62).
«The first rule of life, love, and hockey is the same rule — you’ve got to play hurt» (p. 27).
«Goalies don’t see goals. We hear them» (p. 75).
«We’re [les gardiens] united in a brotherhood of apartness and fear» (p. 86).
«The family metaphor in pro sports is ridiculous. Family members don’t get cut, traded, waived, benched, or sent to the minors» (p. 93).
«The shelf life on loyalty to a goaltender is about twenty minutes or three goals, whichever comes first» (p. 129).
«In most businesses people get better as they age. But not in pro sports» (p. 171).
«In this game friendship lasts, allegiance doesn’t» (p. 206).
«A goalie coach is a head coach» (p. 243).
Référence
Falla, Jack, Saved. A Novel, New York, Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Press, 2007, ix/276 p.
Cette œuvre est sous Licence Creative Commons Internationale Attribution-Pas d'Utilisation Commerciale 4.0.