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Golf Interrupted
"Damaged yet unbroken, Sebastian is a B-grade golfer assisted by Donnie, a wounded pelican, who shows him how to use the wind's power for flight, for golf and for life.
Damaged yet unbroken, Sebastian is a B-grade golfer assisted by Donnie, a wounded pelican, who shows him how to use the wind's power for flight, for golf and for life.
But before Sebastian has even completed Hope, the first hole at Desolation Point, he is interrupted. As the police psychiatrist he is back on the front line as a terrorist threat becomes a siege situation - just a short helicopter ride from his golf.
The siege ends abruptly and Sebastian fears it's all too much and he won't be able to keep going. Not knowing what else to do, he persists in his golf, soothed by the tenderness of golfing mates, Stefan, Brian and the Rabbi. As they play they talk – about life, death and golf.
Golf Interrupted is a whimsical novella about damage, connection and conversation. Themes and ideas bob to the surface and are tossed about, like golf balls in the wind. Sebastian has come face-to-face with death, time and again. He is damaged – like his muse Donnie, and he seeks a metaphysical connection, through Donnie, to the natural world.
Taking place over a single day, from the first tee off through the secret cave beneath the fourteenth hole, all the way to the final hole, this novella will keep you guessing.
"
Damaged yet unbroken, Sebastian is a B-grade golfer assisted by Donnie, a wounded pelican, who shows him how to use the wind's power for flight, for golf and for life.
But before Sebastian has even completed Hope, the first hole at Desolation Point, he is interrupted. As the police psychiatrist he is back on the front line as a terrorist threat becomes a siege situation - just a short helicopter ride from his golf.
The siege ends abruptly and Sebastian fears it's all too much and he won't be able to keep going. Not knowing what else to do, he persists in his golf, soothed by the tenderness of golfing mates, Stefan, Brian and the Rabbi. As they play they talk – about life, death and golf.
Golf Interrupted is a whimsical novella about damage, connection and conversation. Themes and ideas bob to the surface and are tossed about, like golf balls in the wind. Sebastian has come face-to-face with death, time and again. He is damaged – like his muse Donnie, and he seeks a metaphysical connection, through Donnie, to the natural world.
Taking place over a single day, from the first tee off through the secret cave beneath the fourteenth hole, all the way to the final hole, this novella will keep you guessing.
"
200 pages, Paperback
Published September 14, 2017
About the author
Peter Anderson
498 books4 followersPeter Anderson hails from South Africa, but currently resides in Texas, where he is an associate professor of English. The author of a previous collection of poems, Vanishing Ground, his work in fiction and poetry has appeared in numerous literary magazines and has been anthologized in both America and South Africa. The Unspeakable is his first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 26, 2017
Golf Interrupted is as much a philosophical novella as a police mystery, with an unlikely cast of characters. There is a foursome of golfers who play a round on the clifftop links course on Desolation Point: Sebastian, a forensic psychiatrist and expert in hostage negotiations, Brian, the Irish dentist, Stefan, a professor of moral philosophy who lectures and publishes on death, suicide and euthanasia, and the Rabbi whose main occupation seems to be burying his congregation’s Holocaust survivors. There is also Noel the hermit, a former champion golfer and Sebastian’s childhood friend, who lives in a cave below the fourteenth green with Donnie, the ageing pelican. Wounded in a thunderstorm, the bird had been nursed back to health by Noel, and has now adopted a habit of watching over the goings-on on the golf course from his vantage point high up on a radio tower adjacent to the golf club.
The game is repeatedly interrupted when a police helicopter appears to whisk the players away, one by one, to assist in the unfolding drama of a police siege at a farm house a few miles away. Their job done but unsure about what exactly was at stake, the foursome resume playing, chatting about their game, struggling to improve their handicap while at the same time questioning each other to attempt to piece together the fragments of their involvement in a life-and-death standoff. Only when the helicopter shows up a fourth time to pick up Brian do they know that something has gone very wrong: the dentist is needed at the morgue to identify a body.
Nature and the weather play an important part in this story. Play is suspended during a brief thunderstorm, and the dangerous cliffs and high winds add to the impression of unease and bewilderment. But the wind can be your friend, too, and the flight patterns of Donnie, the anthropomorphic pelican, are read by Sebastian as instructions of how to use the wind to play his shots. The easy communication of the four long-time friends also offers an uplifting contrast to the sometimes nightmarish recollections of past events.
The 18 chapters reflect the symbolically named 18 holes played over the better part of the day. As the games progresses, a mysterious mosaic emerges that ties the interconnecting life stories of the group of golf players together. Themes of mental breakdown and death, loss and survival, grief and suffering are countered by passages of dry, laconic humour. The surreal, phantastic elements of the story paradoxically counter its fragile, dark “alleged reality”
“As long as I’ve got suicide to fall back on, I can get through,” says the professor of philosophy. And the Rabbi declares: “Have children, populate the land.” He will have to do a funeral later that afternoon.
An intriguing, challenging book that offers great rewards.
Gerhard Fischer
The game is repeatedly interrupted when a police helicopter appears to whisk the players away, one by one, to assist in the unfolding drama of a police siege at a farm house a few miles away. Their job done but unsure about what exactly was at stake, the foursome resume playing, chatting about their game, struggling to improve their handicap while at the same time questioning each other to attempt to piece together the fragments of their involvement in a life-and-death standoff. Only when the helicopter shows up a fourth time to pick up Brian do they know that something has gone very wrong: the dentist is needed at the morgue to identify a body.
Nature and the weather play an important part in this story. Play is suspended during a brief thunderstorm, and the dangerous cliffs and high winds add to the impression of unease and bewilderment. But the wind can be your friend, too, and the flight patterns of Donnie, the anthropomorphic pelican, are read by Sebastian as instructions of how to use the wind to play his shots. The easy communication of the four long-time friends also offers an uplifting contrast to the sometimes nightmarish recollections of past events.
The 18 chapters reflect the symbolically named 18 holes played over the better part of the day. As the games progresses, a mysterious mosaic emerges that ties the interconnecting life stories of the group of golf players together. Themes of mental breakdown and death, loss and survival, grief and suffering are countered by passages of dry, laconic humour. The surreal, phantastic elements of the story paradoxically counter its fragile, dark “alleged reality”
“As long as I’ve got suicide to fall back on, I can get through,” says the professor of philosophy. And the Rabbi declares: “Have children, populate the land.” He will have to do a funeral later that afternoon.
An intriguing, challenging book that offers great rewards.
Gerhard Fischer
August 22, 2017
Such an interesting premise - a day told over a round of golf with the constant companion of Donnie the pelican. With echoes of Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, this uses golf as a lens through which the author asks us to meditate with him on life, loss & healing. There's no mistaking the author's love of the sport on these pages, but it's a psychologist's view rather than a sports fan. Surprising and inspiring.
September 14, 2017
A Rabbi, a forensic psychiatrist, a philosopher and a dentist walked onto a golf course...
I was worried when i saw the title because i'm not a golfer. I don't understand the frustrations of a game that could spoil a good walk. But a friend gave me a copy.
When i started reading, i was greatly relieved because i realised the book is more about the 'interruptions' and less about the golf. It's about setting out to do one thing, and what actually happens along the way. It is more about life, death, and rebelling against golf regulation dress code (and who wouldn't).
Part-fantasy, the story includes reflections on life, by the characters, an old hermit and a muse - a battered old pelican muse - that keeps this protagonist going.
A really enjoyable read.
I was worried when i saw the title because i'm not a golfer. I don't understand the frustrations of a game that could spoil a good walk. But a friend gave me a copy.
When i started reading, i was greatly relieved because i realised the book is more about the 'interruptions' and less about the golf. It's about setting out to do one thing, and what actually happens along the way. It is more about life, death, and rebelling against golf regulation dress code (and who wouldn't).
Part-fantasy, the story includes reflections on life, by the characters, an old hermit and a muse - a battered old pelican muse - that keeps this protagonist going.
A really enjoyable read.
September 14, 2017
Golf Interrupted ... what can I say? Do yourself a favour, and get a copy. It was an original concept, and I must say, I wasn't sure if it was my cup of tea (golf is not my thing), but after reading it, I am recommending it to all!
The authors passion was evident, the characters were lively and well-rounded and the book was highly thought provoking and honestly surprising! Add it to your list NOW
The authors passion was evident, the characters were lively and well-rounded and the book was highly thought provoking and honestly surprising! Add it to your list NOW
August 22, 2017
Golf Interrupted is a great read! This is a creative and original piece of work with both realist and absurdist elements. The context for this story is an attempted terrorist attack and the police response to it, and the novela examines the various central characters involved in one way or another, and what brought each of them there. Deftly combining the personal with the political, this piece of writing explores themes of loss and grief, hope and and despair, and healing and redemption. It's both funny and entertaining while at the same time deeply thought provoking. Highly recommended!
October 26, 2017
I can say that golf is definitely not my game, I thought it was just hitting a white ball with a stick.
I was mistaken. Golf is really a metaphor for coping with the ups and downs of life and the importance of the people we choose to accompany us on the journey.
a great read
I was mistaken. Golf is really a metaphor for coping with the ups and downs of life and the importance of the people we choose to accompany us on the journey.
a great read
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September 21, 2017I enjoyed this book. If you wonder why people play golf this book may have the answer !
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews