KIRKUS REVIEW
In Bullock’s warmhearted and amusing fiction debut, a happily married banker on the verge of retirement finds himself called to become a prophet of God—and perhaps the golfing world’s newest celebrity.
Mild-mannered ordinary guy Joe Goodman, 63, is an avid golfer looking forward to puttering around the links during his imminent retirement. He’s happy with his life—happy to consider it nothing extraordinary. But the extraordinary intervenes. After a weekend contentedly watching the Masters Tournament on TV, Joe is at work when he receives a message from God on his computer (“Have you run out of stone tablets?” Joe asks). God tells Joe that, far from being a spectator, he’s going to play in the following year’s Masters, and—if his faith is strong enough—he’s going to win. This is nothing Joe has ever imagined, of course; like a long string of prophets before him, he asks, “Are you sure you’ve got the right guy?” In a series of smoothly controlled chapters, his unexpected journey unfolds. Joe’s heaven-sent companion on that journey is a man named Herb Friday, who assures him, “This is going to be hard work, but lots of fun.” Under Herb’s guidance, Joe quickly progresses through local and regional tournaments, gaining trophies and confidence despite the distractions he encounters at work, where busybody governmental regulations are making his bank’s ordinary operations more difficult. As the months pass, Joe’s supportive wife tells him she’s convinced that “God picked the right two guys for this mission.” As Joe’s game improves, Bullock adroitly brings alive the world of golf and connects it—without being heavy-handed or preachy—to the nature of personal belief. This isn’t just for golfers, though. Bullock’s gentle good humor sparkles throughout, and the story’s climax will bring a smile to just about any reader’s face.
A touching and ultimately uplifting story of redefining what’s possible through faith.
