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Pub date July 15, 2022

ISBN 978-1789049121

Price $7.49 (USD) Kindle edition, $9.95 Paperback

Author interview

Berner’s latest is a poignant story of a young boy grappling with identity and finding his own place in the world. When Jimmy, a homeless man who spends his days cheering on golfers from his usual sitting spot just off the 5th green at Old Elm Municipal Golf course, goes missing, there’re not many who care about his fate. But the young boy who is a regular at the Golf course is concerned. As he begins to ask questions about Jimmy, he unravels the old man’s mysterious link to the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland. Berner’s deeply engrossing prose delves into his two protagonists’ lives, showing their inner selves as he allows them each their moments of necessary introspection and joy. The novella’s measured pacing has a pleasing rhythm, and Berner’s intelligent plotting skillfully links the boy’s relentless inner questioning to Jimmy’s eternal wanderlust. This is a deeply personal novel about identity, self-discovery, and individual identity. Berner also weaves broader questions, including what does it mean to be alive and be in sync with one’s inner self, the true meaning of success, and how professional success and happiness do not always go hand in hand, into the affecting narrative. Atmospheric, intelligent, and beautifully crafted: an impressive tale.

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