Death of the Soccer God

Death of the Soccer God Dimitry Elias Léger
222 Pages
ISBN: # 978-0-374-61988-6
Farrar, Strauss Giroux

2026 The old cliché about a person's life flashing before their eyes immediately before death is the essence of Dimitry Elias Léger's novel Death of the Soccer God. Gilbert Chevalier was the king of the world after he scored the winning goal in the 1950 World Cup. Now, he finds himself facing a firing squad at Fort Dimanche, the notorious prison in Haiti, which exemplified the cruelty of François Duvalier's totalitarian regime. As Gilbert stares at the weapons aimed at him, he reflects on his past.

The firing squad serves as the novel's frame, establishing immediate tension while allowing the remainder of the narrative to move freely through Gilbert's memory. The overall feel of the novel is somewhat like jazz improvisation, where the introduction provides a foundation on which the narrative unfolds.

Léger is an important voice in contemporary literature who rose to prominence with his 2015 debut novel, God Loves Haiti. Death of the Soccer God, his second novel, continues his exploration of themes such as personal identity and national belonging. The novel is loosely based on Haitian soccer legend Joe Gaetjens, who earned a place in history by scoring the winning goal in the United States' 1950 World Cup victory over England. Gaetjens remains a legendary figure in Haitian culture.

Several other historical figures appear as characters in the novel. Jazz musicians such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner show up alongside well-known personalities such as former Haitian president François Duvalier, soccer legend Pelé and poet Aimé Césaire.

Léger incorporates an almost playful sense of creative license here. The timeline occasionally shifts, and certain scenes contain elements of magical realism. However, considering that Chevalier is recollecting experiences from his past while facing his imminent death, it's not surprising that the memories in this situation might be somewhat sketchy. As a result, the novel includes several obvious anachronisms, but this is not a flaw in the writing. A great many classic literary works employ similar techniques.

Jazz fans might quickly spot some of the historical discrepancies. For example, Gilbert came to New York in 1949 to attend college. Miles Davis is his roommate and is said to be studying at Juilliard. But Davis dropped out in 1945. Gilbert also describes John Coltrane playing "Pursuance," from his then-in-progress album A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965), which was not recorded until late 1964. These moments are not as much errors as invitations—signals that memory, not history, governs the narrative.

Jazz is not just a motif in the novel; it is its organizing principle. Léger draws a clear connection between the two. Soccer has specific rules to follow, but when players are on the field, improvisation takes over, and that's the exciting part of the game. Gilbert, at one point, remarks that soccer is his jazz, and Léger effectively brings the reader onto the stage and onto the field to experience what the improvisation involved in jazz and soccer feels and sounds like.

The contrast between jazz and soccer underscores a sense of dualism that persists throughout the novel. It is a world of black and white, Haitian and European, male and female. The dualism goes even further than the obvious here. Gilbert's brother Jackie, for example, serves as his closest friend and often his nemesis. On one level, they are twins, but on another, they are completely different. They were born at the same time, but while they shared the same father, they had two different mothers. This relationship becomes somewhat symbolic as the novel progresses. Gilbert represents the prodigal son, while Jackie is the son who stays true to his native land.

Dualism also shapes Gilbert's relationships. The two central romantic figures are Elizabeth, the beautiful German woman whom he marries, largely to please his father, and Aurélie, the devout Haitian woman he meets at his own wedding reception and subsequently falls in love with. Together, they embody a split sense of responsibility: Elizabeth represents what Gilbert believes he should do, while Aurélie reflects what he truly desires. This tension extends beyond romance. Gilbert's love of soccer stands in contrast to his father's insistence on a more practical path, a pressure that ultimately leads him to New York in pursuit of a conventional career.

Throughout the novel, however, the driving force is Gilbert's impending execution. After Elizabeth becomes romantically involved with François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, Gilbert quickly discovers his return to Haiti for his father's funeral is far from the homecoming he expected. Rather than a hero's welcome, Gilbert ends up in prison waiting for the day he will face the firing squad. Léger creates a level of anticipation that is maintained throughout the novel.

Despite its seemingly grim subject matter, this is far from a depressing story. Death of the Soccer God is an incredibly well-paced, modern-day picaresque novel that satisfies on all accounts. Like the improvisations it celebrates, Death of the Soccer God moves with freedom, risk, and unexpected beauty, never losing sight of the structure that holds it together.

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