The Cactus League, by Emily Nemens

In this remarkable debut novel from the editor of The Paris Review, we follow the fictional Los Angeles Lions baseball team as they embark upon spring training in Arizona. With nine chapters serving as connected short stories, we see the larger picture of the team, the star slugger struggling with addiction and divorce, the women hanging around the parking lots, the coaches and executives, organ players, and devoted kid fans. Baseball is all about the long game, and this novel perfectly captures the permanence of the institution throughout the changing landscape, environment and dynamic characters.