Blog Archives
Boy of Heaven
Boy of Heaven, by Morris Hoffman, tells the story of an orphan boy in 17th-century Milan who discovers a fading mural, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, hidden in what has become the stables of a Dominican priory. As the boy labors among horses, he has named after constellations; he alone sees the painting’s slow return to clarity. What unfolds is a lyrical meditation on suffering, faith, grief, and vision. Hoffman’s novel blends historical fiction with a mystical edge, threading deep emotion through a richly imagined world.
Reading this book pulled something quiet but insistent from me. Hoffman’s writing is unusual, almost liturgical in rhythm. It doesn’t always make for an easy read, but it makes for a rewarding one. There were passages I reread just to feel them again. The boy’s interior world is raw and lonely, but never melodramatic. There’s very little action in the conventional sense. Instead, the story unfolds through daily labor, small kindnesses, and sacred echoes. And yet, I found myself emotionally swept up in the boy’s grief for a horse, his awe at a fresco, his quiet yearning to be seen.
I feel the book drifts at times. There were sections where the pace slowed, where there were long descriptions of the priory or repeated imagery. Everything is so reverent. Still, what the book lacks in momentum, it makes up for in heart. The blend of the sacred and the mundane, the way the horses become mythic, the mystery of the fresco, that’s where it shines. It doesn’t explain itself, and that made it feel more honest and more relatable.
Boy of Heaven isn’t just about art or faith or even memory. It’s about seeing what others miss and holding on to what shouldn’t be forgotten. It’s a quiet book, but it left a loud feeling. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves poetic writing, historical fiction with a spiritual bend, or stories where nothing much happens on the outside but everything changes on the inside. This is not a book to speed through. It’s one to sit with, one to cherish in silence.
Pages: 90 | ASIN : B0F7C4BSRP
Pinch Hitting
Morris Hoffman’s Pinch Hitting is a heartfelt tribute to baseball, woven into a narrative that explores the profound struggles of disability, grief, trauma, and loss. The novel artfully blends the emotional weight of these themes with the exhilarating intensity of baseball, creating a compelling and multi-layered story. The structure of Pinch Hitting is particularly intriguing, as it features a story within a story. The novel’s central character, Joe Skelton, becomes an unlikely narrator when he is diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor. This tumor manifests in an unexpected way—Joe begins narrating a vivid and original story in his sleep, surprising both himself and his wife, Katherine. They start documenting this tale, which evolves into Tales of Harold. As Joe races against time to finish Harold’s story before his own life ends, an invisible clock ticks away, adding tension and urgency to the narrative.
At the heart of Joe’s tale is Harold Fungo, affectionately known as the “Joltin’ Janitor.” Harold is a disabled janitor who unexpectedly finds himself thrust into the national spotlight as a professional baseball player, thanks to his remarkable pinch-hitting abilities discovered by a minor league team. The reader is taken on an emotional journey through Harold’s life, from his challenging childhood with a loving, deaf mother to the discrimination and betrayal he faces as an adult in the world of professional sports.
Hoffman enhances the storytelling with each chapter, beginning with a newspaper clipping that updates the reader on the latest happenings in Harold’s baseball world. This clever device adds authenticity to Harold’s rise in the sports world, while the alternating narratives of Joe and Harold create a rich, layered experience. The emotional journey of Joe and Katherine as they confront his illness is paralleled by Harold’s tumultuous path in baseball, where themes of racism, discrimination, and the deep bonds of teamwork come to the fore.
Pinch Hitting, by Morris Hoffman, offers something for everyone, whether you’re drawn to its deeply touching emotional core or the gripping excitement of baseball. Even those with little interest in the sport will find themselves captivated by the novel’s powerful storytelling and complex characters. This is a book that will resonate with readers, winning hearts regardless of their familiarity with the game.
Pages: 349 | ISBN : 978-1685134389
LITERARY TITAN 