by K. T. Hoffman
Dial, 2024. 366 pages. Realistic fiction.
Gene Ionescu has always loved baseball, a sport made for underdogs and optimists. As the first openly trans player in professional baseball, Gene has nearly everything he’s ever let himself dream of—that is, until Luis Estrada, Gene’s former teammate and current rival, gets traded to his team. Gene and Luis can’t manage a civil conversation off the field or a competent play on it, but in the close confines of dugout benches and roadie buses, they begrudgingly rediscover a comfortable rhythm. As the two grow closer, the tension between them turns electric, and their chemistry spills past the confines of the stadium. Soon, Gene has to reconcile the quiet, minor-league-sized life he used to find fulfilling with the major-league dreams Luis makes feel possible.
I'll be the first to admit: baseball isn't typically my jam. Yet Hoffman has a way of making the sport interesting and accessible to the uninitiated while still conveying their love of the sport. I almost wonder if I should tag this fantasy for how the queer main character encounters largely decent human beings, especially in the world of American baseball. Realistic or not, this work delivers a healthy dose of trans joy and just makes you feel good.