Archive - December 18, 2019

      Sayonara Sacrifice by Robert Cochrane (Morocco 1981–83) Xpat Fiction 320 pages November 2019 $15.00 (paperback)   Reviewed by Richard Lipez (Ethiopia 1962-64) • You have to wonder what gets into some writers’ heads when they decide to land on some remote time and place nobody currently is giving a scintilla of thought to and then go ahead and do everything it takes to bring that time and place magically to life. God knows why he chose to do it, but Robert Cochrane has pulled off just such a—I want to say “stunt,” but that’s too feeble a word for the weight and richness of this lovely novel. There are lots of World War II novels, but how many World War II baseball novels are there, especially World War II baseball novels set in Japan whose main character is American? I am guessing none, so Cochrane gets additional points . . .