The Turn - by Christopher Ransom

Book Synopsis

From internationally bestselling author Christopher Ransom, The Turn is one man's hilarious and heartwarming odyssey through loss and addiction as he desperately fights to shoot par on the back nine of his life.

After a divorce and the death of his father, Casey Sweet is in a bad way. He's drinking most of a bottle of whiskey every night, and his panic attacks at work have landed him on an involuntary mental health sabbatical for the summer.

Cleaning out his dad's possessions, he stumbles upon a bag of rare vintage golf clubs--a set the old man protected like gold. Soon, Casey is golfing every day, drinking less, and--with the help of his bossy therapist--keeping his anxieties at bay. At the local course, where his father was a respected member, Casey forges new bonds with an eclectic band of regulars. The most intriguing member of Twin Peaks is twenty-two-year-old Josh Parker, a feral golf prodigy with dreams of qualifying for the PGA Tour and an immaculately restored 1987 Land Cruiser--a truck Casey recalls from a short-lived college romance with a woman named Damaris, who happens to be Josh's mom.

Increasingly convinced that he has found a son he never knew, Casey embeds himself deeper into Josh's life and attempts to rekindle things with Damaris. But fatherhood is more complicated than golf. What role is Casey supposed to play after stumbling into their lives? As they navigate one transformative summer, Casey, Damaris, and Josh must examine past decisions and present fears, leaning on each other to survive an eighteen-hole showdown as uplifting as it is unforgettable.

In the tradition of golf-comedy classics like Caddyshack and literary midlife misadventures like Sideways, The Turn is at once a story of personal redemption, a blistering romance, and a testament to the healing powers of the most obsessive game ever invented.

Review Quotes

"Golf novels come in three generic, and usually banal, varieties: the redemption story, the phony spiritualism kind, and the mawkishly sentimental. In The Turn, written in first person from the point-of-view of middle-aged, divorced, alcohol-abusing Casey Sweet, we get from author Christopher Ransom a raw and heartbreaking story of broken relationships and, at times, brutally honest moments of love and friendship. With surprising twists and turns, the game of golf becomes, for Sweet and a colorful cast of characters who festoon him, an uplifting raison d'être. It gets the sport of golf right, and it's funny, too."

"If you're a golfer, The Turn is the novel for you. And if you're not a golfer, The Turn just might be the novel for you anyway. It's a smart, funny, and ultimately moving story about finally becoming a man in middle age. And the pages really fly. A total winner, on and off the green."

"This book kept me reading way past all hours. It is both wise (golf is man against self) and heartwarming (rooting for Team Sweet-Parker on every page). This book will make you feel hopeful about the inner demons we all face and humanity, in general."