An obese former academic shut-in and a poor kid dreaming of a successful baseball career are linked together by a former student who transforms their lives in this novel from the author of The Words of Every Song. (general fiction). An obese former academic shut-in and a poor kid dreaming of a successful baseball career are linked together by a former student who transforms their lives. Former academic Arthur Opp weighs 550 pounds and hasnt left his rambling Brooklyn home in a decade. Twenty miles away, in Yonkers, 17-year-old Kel Keller navigates life as the poor kid in a rich school and pins his hopes on a promising baseball career -- if he can ever untangle himself from his family drama. The link between this unlikely pair is Kels mother, Charlene, a former student of Arthurs. It is Charlenes unexpected plea for help to Arthur that jostles them into action.Through Arthur and Kels own quirky and lovable voices, Heft tells the story of two improbable heroes whose connection transforms both their lives in a story that is hopeful and heartwarming.
