ONE OF THIS WEEK'S BEST NOVELS OF 2022The perfect novel for fans of The Last Dance, Hoop Dreams and Winning Time'Exquisite. . . Warm, humane, and tragic.' JONATHAN LETHEM At his high school basketball try-outs, nerdy sports-obsessed Brian Blum meets new kid MarcusHayes.As a sportswriter, Brian spends the following twenty years tracking his friends' superstar NBAcareer.But when Marcus mounts his last dance comeback, after a couple of years out of the game,both men must face the tensions of their unlikely dynamic, and the disappointments of gettingolder. Praise for The Sidekick:'There is something so compelling about the questions of whether these two friends, despite theirfraught history and hefty egos, will rekindle a genuine connection . . . you'll want to know how thegame turns out.' TLS 'Compelling and emotionally resonant.' Spectator'Contemporary fiction's best kept secret . . . It's gratifying to observe someone with a large amountof specific knowledge not only imparting that expertise, but unlocking some deeper meaning withinit, like a top sports star working their magic.' Sunday Business Post