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Description

When Abraham Verghese, a physician whose marriage is unravelling, relocates to Texas, he hopes to make a fresh start as a staff member at a county hospital. There he meets David Smith, a medical student recovering from a drug addiction, and the two men begin a tennis ritual that allows them to shed their inhibitions and find security, in the sport they love and in each other. But when the dark beast that is David's addiction emerges once again, almost everything Verghese has come to trust and believe in is threatened. Compassionate and moving, The Tennis Player is an unforgettable, illuminating story of how men live and how they survive.

Reviews

"Verghese is a fine writer, lyrical and controlled, and he captures the attachment between two men - its motives, its allure - with both precision and charm... Wise and compassionate" New York Times Book Review "A brave and heart-baring story" Time "Heartbreaking... Indelible and haunting... An elegy to friendship found and an ode to a good friend lost" Boston Globe