Doubles : A Novel

Tennis player Slow Smith is either wallowing in self-pity or mourning the virtual loss of his wife, who is in a coma after a car accident. Slow?so named for his excruciatingly deliberate service routine?was half of a successful professional doubles team that won the U.S. Open at Forest Hills six times. Old coach Manny arrives at Slow?s house uninvited, and the pair head to Forest Hills where they will meet up with Slow?s longtime doubles partner, Kaz. Life has continued for Kaz since the accident; he?s playing with a new partner. But the former partners are still connected, if not as tightly as before. Back in the familiar tennis world, Slow and Kaz attempt to reconnect, both professionally and personally, but things have changed. Slow is different. Of course he is: his wife?s in a coma, and he blames himself for the accident. The past is his milieu; Kaz is moving forward.