To eliminate narrative is to me like whenever there are those ads that are from a really duplicitous looking dude, in a strangely expensive suit, who’s like, “LISTEN TO THIS BOOK IN 38 SECONDS, AND YOU’LL BECOME A MILLIONAIRE”.
I knew Isle McElroy first as a Raptors fan and an editor at the literary magazine, Gulf Coast. I remember their joy when the Raptors won the 2018-2019 Championship and after that, remember them disentangling from the team a little as they got ready for their own title run. Isle wrote the novel The Atmospherians, which came out in spring 2021 to rave reviews and the kind of humming disquiet that comes when a book or piece of art has really hit on and crystallized something.
We talked about that disentanglement, the amorphousness of fandom and how we grow in and away from it, and fandom’s aesthetics. We also gave book recommendations for players, talked about the perception that narrative is harmful, or the generalized fear of it in sports. That we are biased as writers to it as a tool in telling stories but also when you pay attention, it’s everywhere. Even in the arguments against it. Even in stats.
Isle’s novel, which is now out in paperback, can be picked up wherever you like to buy books.
Share this post