What could be a clearer indication of the novel’s magnetic, mind-occupying power?īowlaway opens in the late Victorian age, with the arrival of candlepin bowling-“A game of purity for former Puritans, a game of devotion that will always fail”-in the town of Salford, Massachusetts. Halfway through an article about how, in medieval Germany, the sport was a religious ritual representing the toppling of sin and paganism (the pins) by Christianity (the ball), you’ll look up and realize where you are-probably a short drive from the nearest alley, should you wish to topple some pagans yourself. It is a sign of the imagination and quality of Elizabeth McCracken’s new novel, Bowlaway, that after reading it one finds oneself spontaneously researching the history of bowling.
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