Book Review: Sandman: A Golf Tale

Sandman: A Golf Tale. David W. Berner. Roundfire Books, Early 2022. Trade Paperback and E-book.

Reviewed by Brian Johnston.

I have to admit that I'm not much of a golfer. I've only played the game a couple of times in my life, and I wasn't very good. Even so, I can appreciate the love that many people have for the game, and even non-players will gain a fresh appreciation for the passion many golfers feel for the game and find a good story in David W. Berner's new book Sandman: A Golf Tale.

Sandman is a fictional story about a boy, a potential golf prodigy, and an old caddy named Jimmy, who sleeps on the golf course. One day, Jimmy disappears, and no one knows what happened to him. The story moves back and forth between the boy, who learns about the game and life in general, and background information about Jimmy, describing his past experiences as a caddy that led him up to the moment he vanished.

The story flowed smoothly and held my interest, even though there were many back and forth between the two storylines. The author showed strong writing skills. I feel like the dialogue between the characters was especially significant, as the characters clearly seemed to relate to each other well. The author also clearly conveyed a passion for golf, which made the story that much more believable and engaging. I learned much and gained insight into the beautiful game that golf can be for both young and old alike.

There also are some outstanding life lessons in the book. I learned about the innocence of childhood and about having compassion for other human beings. Though Jimmy had disappeared, the author effectively humanized him, and I felt compassion for him throughout the story. I think readers will come away from reading the book, never looking at golf, or life in general, the same way again.

If you're interested in reading sports fiction or want a smooth-and-easy fiction read, I would recommend reading David W. Berner's book, Sandman: A Golf Tale. I'm glad that I did.