A review by mhwriter2024
A Sport and a Pastime by James Salter

4.0

Vivid writing by the late James Salter drives his novel about the sexual relationship between a young American living abroad in France, and his 18 year old French girlfriend. The book was published in 1967, and the unique literary style by American author Salter was matched by its steady barrage of sex that might have been considered edgy for a 1967 novel. The descriptions of Paris and part of the French countryside are amazing. With that said, the narrative has its issues, in terms of plot, and the fact that an unnamed narrator retells most of the story, while only witnessing some of it. Reading it in 2024, some of the descriptions of people of color, as ancillary characters in cafes, and nightclubs that figure in the story seem dated, and offensive. I read it because I really want to read Salter's autobiography, Burning the Days, in 2024.. and A Sport is his best known book.