This review was originally published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Jan. 11, 2025

In some works of fiction, an inanimate object takes center stage and effectively becomes a character. Such is the case with “Pickleballers,” by Ilana Long, where the game pickleball is the central character.

This rom-com will make fans of pickleball giddy with delight (or dill-light, but more on pickle puns later).

Six months after her divorce, Meg Bloomberg started playing pickleball with the Lakeview pickleball league. But her favorite pickleball courts are threatened by an environmentalist who wants to turn the courts into wetlands. Meg pulls an oopsie because that same person, Ethan Fine – yes his name is Fine and he seems like the real dill – is someone she hooked up with in the backseat of her car in the not-too-distant past (a laugh-out-loud-worthy scene early in the book).

Since she doesn’t want anyone to know about the hookup, Meg keeps it quiet, even as she enters the beginners’ Picklesmash Tournament with plans to use the prize money to save Lakeview’s courts. To get away and practice, she flees to Bainbridge, Washington, the birthplace of pickleball.

With so many fun and quirky characters, the book has great moments. There are, for example, six or seven Daves (reflux Dave, dress shirt Dave, etc.), as well as Meg’s best friend, Annie Yoon, who got Meg involved in the sport and is a constant sidekick to her misadventures.

Since Meg is new to pickleball, this book will most likely encourage others to try it as well. As any pickleball enthusiast would know, the game was created in 1965 when four friends needed to stave off their children’s boredom. The first permanent pickleball court was installed on Bainbridge Island in 1967, decades before the hype that went worldwide, in the front yard of a local house – which plays a part in a scene in the book.

Those who have played the game will enjoy seeing references to various moves, lore and strategy. For readers who are not pickleball enthusiasts and/or who have not played, some parts of the rom-com might feel like listening to Charlie Brown’s teacher talk. To be fair, this would be not just true of pickleball, but of any sport someone might not like, and is not a reflection of the writing. One would be hard-pressed to win them over unless they have played and have a true passion for the game.

In short, all you need to know is in the title, and if you didn’t like Pickleball before, you’ll either be repelled or tempted to try.

The book features a well-painted portrayal of the aesthetic of the Pacific Northwest and the history of Bainbridge Island, and not just its most famous sport – but its complicated history as well. One centered character, Mayumi, engages with the experience her family had during 1942, when a civilian exclusion order removed Japanese Americans from the West Coast in response to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Long doesn’t hesitate to consider the challenges Mayumi’s family faced, including increasing anti-Japanese sentiment.

“It was our home,” she tells Meg. “No matter what. You can’t just give up on something because parts of it caused you pain. If it’s worth it, then you work on it.”

“Pickelballers” packs a lot into a breezy paperback – and while also covering heavy and important topics, there’s not a pickle pun left in the world that’s not in this book. Long’s ability to make readers laugh while also teaching them history is an accomplishment.

The book also teaches readers about life, as Rooster, the grandfatherly advice-giving character shows Meg:

“Life’s like Pickleball,” he tells her. “You gotta release the bad patterns and habits that are dragging you down before you can make any progress.”