Carrie Soto is back, by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Tennis prodigy Carrie Soto was coached by her father from infancy to be greatest tennis player of all time, fulfilling his own thwarted dreams. Had Carrie’s mother not been killed in a car accident she may have provided some balance to the lonely girl’s upbringing. Desperate for her Dad’s attention and approval, she threw herself single-mindedly into tennis, at the expense of friends, fun and any semblance of a normal life. Early in his daughter’s professional career, Javier realises that while grieving the loss of his wife he has created a monster. He tries to make up for it later on, supporting Carrie completely when she attempts a comeback, at the age of 37, to protect her legacy. Read creates a vividly credible picture of the professional tennis scene of the 70s, 80s and 90s, with an acute skewering of the sexist commentary typical of the era. Her fictional tennis stars are based on recognisable archetypes, rather than actual players, and are a lot of fun to spot. For all her faults, Carrie is endearingly honest and ultimately capable of both professional success and personal growth.

The Rules of Backyard Cricket, by Jock Serong

Reading more like an autobiography than a novel, Serong’s account of two brothers is better written and far more interesting than most actual cricketing bios. Spurred on by their fierce single mum, prodigies Wally and Darren Keefe make their mark on their sport from an early age. Poor choices are Darren’s downfall in cricket and in life and he fails to meet his potential in either. The brothers’ relationship rings very true, with fierce rivalry in every aspect. Their story calls in elements of Steve and Mark Waugh, David Warner, Shane Warne, Hansie Cronje and various ‘bad boys’ of other sporting codes, notably Gary Ablett Snr. The brothers are two sides of the same coin, but sometimes the coin gets flipped. Perfect by-the-book Wally turns out to have sold his soul and larrikin fuck-up Darren is the one with a heart. The story is completely believable, which begs the question how accurate a picture is it of the corruption of cricket at all levels. With recent revelations of tennis match fixing, it is probably all too true. Ultimately this is something of a horror story, disturbing and unsettling, posing more questions than it answers.