Golfing with God: A Novel of Heaven and Earth

( 7 )

Overview


This is the story of a journey—from heaven to earth and back again. For Herman "Hank" Fins-Winston, that journey begins one idyllic morning—as all mornings are in heaven—when he is summoned to play a round of golf with God. Yes, that God. The Almighty. The one with the capital G. And yes, Hank really is in heaven, a fact he finds truly amusing because, for one reason or another, a fair percentage of golfers never make it to paradise, and because he himself was no angel in his former life.

It seems that God is having some trouble with His (or Her: God is funny that way) putting game, and believes that Hank, who was a golf pro on earth, can fix His case ...

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Overview


This is the story of a journey—from heaven to earth and back again. For Herman "Hank" Fins-Winston, that journey begins one idyllic morning—as all mornings are in heaven—when he is summoned to play a round of golf with God. Yes, that God. The Almighty. The one with the capital G. And yes, Hank really is in heaven, a fact he finds truly amusing because, for one reason or another, a fair percentage of golfers never make it to paradise, and because he himself was no angel in his former life.

It seems that God is having some trouble with His (or Her: God is funny that way) putting game, and believes that Hank, who was a golf pro on earth, can fix His case of "the yips." But as they play the heavenly courses both in paradise and back on earth, Hank comes to realize that what began as a golf lesson has become much more, and that rather than teaching God about the game, it is he himself who is learning the lessons—about fearing failure, about second chances, about the connectedness of all living things, about not taking the next breath for granted, and about our God-given ability to improve ourselves—one stroke at a time.

Funny and uplifting, Golfing with God is a beautifully realized novel that takes the reader on one ordinary man's most unexpected passage.

Editorial Reviews

Coleman McCarthy
The tale of Hank the earthly pro and God the eternal swinger is engagingly and wittily told by Roland Merullo.
— The Washington Post
Publishers Weekly
Merullo (Passion for Golf) blends knowledge of the game with glimpses into his spiritual journey in this engaging story of golf, the after-life and "the spiritual education of one soul." Former golf professional Herman Fins-Winston has been enjoying heaven between reincarnations long enough to play several of its 8,187 excellent golf courses. When God, who finds golf his only relaxation after minding the universe, has trouble short putting because of the "yips," He (alternately called "She") summons Herman to help. It turns out that God has a "divine" swing, uses old persimmon woods and regularly hits 390-yard tee shots. Merullo infuses his own brand of theology into the story. (On getting into heaven: "You only have to try, to want it, to be sincere about wanting it. You have to not have hurt anyone too badly in your most recent previous life.") The first section, set in heaven, is stronger than the second, in which God (in the persona of a young trophy wife whom Herman dreams of taking to bed) travels with Herman back to earth. There, they play some of the best golf courses in search of the golf greatness he missed in his previous life. Inevitably, Herman's golfing prowess leads to a showdown with evil. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
More Reviews (5) Fewer Reviews
Library Journal
Merullo won the Massachusetts Book Award in 2003 for his memoir, Revere Beach Elegy, and followed up that success with the romance A Little Love Story. This latest title will garner him even greater success with its Lovely Bones-like use of a deceased narrator. Herman "Hank" Fins-Winston tells his story from the vantage point of his condominium on the 13th fairway of one of heaven's thousands of golf courses. An avid golfer, he spends his days hitting the green with the likes of Buddha and Moses. When he is asked to help none other than God improve his/her game, Hank suddenly finds himself the student, learning the most important lessons of his afterlife. This New Age novel will appeal to fans of Alice Sebold and Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven; highly recommended for public libraries everywhere.-Nanci Milone Hill, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
The author of two novels set around Boston (In Revere, In Those Days, 2002, etc.) switches to religious allegory. The working-class Italian characters in Merullo's earlier books would probably be startled to learn that "there are 8,187 golf courses in heaven" and that "God golfs." Narrator Herman Fins-Winston is perfectly happy playing a few rounds and relaxing in heaven, but God's game has developed problems, and He/She enlists Herman to provide a few pointers. That's what Herman (professional name Hank Winston) did down on Earth as a golf coach after he blew a crucial shot and dropped out of the PGA tour in the 1950s. Some 30 mortal years later, he's dead but still has unfinished spiritual business; God's case of "the yips" (the inability to make short putts) is a pretext for getting Herman back to Earth to put him through a series of tests that, if he passes, will enable him to achieve his true destiny as a golf champion. The set-up is strained, but just as the reader is prepared to scream if subjected to one more accepting-the-divine-order-is-like-accepting-golf sermon, or another bizarre set of 18 holes with (for example) Jesus, Mary and Moses, Merullo partly redeems his story of absurdity by applying his wonderful skills of observation and reflection. Playing at elite courses like Augusta National, with God accompanying him in the form of an attractive young wife, Herman encounters compelling characters both human (an abrasive son and worried father) and semi-divine (a marvelously earthy "scout" who may be a reincarnation of Herman's father). He learns something from each game, especially the one with Satan, and even his lust for God's female body takes him closer to the "intimacywith the divine intelligence" that he really craves. Some fine prose and a genuine sense of spiritual longing make this better than the premise would suggest. Adventuresome-but Merullo's fans will still be waiting for that promised third installment of the Revere Beach Trilogy.
Boston Globe
"An engaging plot, humor . . . and a theology that's humane."
—The Boston Globe
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"A literary fantasy that elevates the game of golf to a spiritual quest."
—The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
The Washington Post
"Amid the laughs and playful banter, Golfing with God is a serious story of self-examination and growth, the hardest games of all."
— The Washington Post Book World

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780641980244
  • Publisher: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
  • Publication date: 11/28/2005
  • Pages: 288
  • Product dimensions: 5.20 (w) x 8.10 (h) x 1.20 (d)

Meet the Author

Roland Merullo, is the critically acclaimed author of seven books, including the Revere Beach Trilogy, three novels about growing up in a tight-knit community outside Boston, and Golfing with God, a novel about a man's unexpected spiritual journey. He lives with his wife and two daughters in eastern Massachusetts.

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