...A young golfer on the autism spectrum does time for murder.




Charles "Chunk" Dawson's Asperger's syndrome has always set him apart. People often patronize or belittle him-or even misinterpret his affect for arrogance or aloofness. Since his meteoric rise as a teenage golf phenom, he's mostly been able to hide his condition. "I certainly didn't want the truth to ever come out. I wanted them to fear, not pity me. I also wanted to retain the power of a secret, like the philanderer, or boozer, or embezzler who draws strength from the excitement of the initial impunity." Even when he went on trial for killing a man, Chunk kept his Asperger's hidden from the court, convinced he would be acquitted regardless. He was wrong, and he's now serving a five-to-seven-year sentence at the Western Missouri Diagnostic and Correction Center. As Chunk bides his time until his release, he ruminates on how his life came to unfold the way it did: his adoption by a wealthy but dysfunctional couple in San Diego County; his aptitude for golf, fostered by his sage, arthritic trainer-turned-caddie, Jim Wellington; and the confrontation that led to the death of one of Chunk's opponents. Is Chunk the greatest redemption story in sports waiting to happen, or is he about to reenter a world with which he is-and has always been-completely incompatible? Anderson's prose is sharp and insightful, capturing Chunk's elegant philosophizing: "I am a professional golfer but will readily admit that I am an amateur human being." More than the plot, it's Chunk and his understated yet gripping storytelling style that keep the reader invested... Fans of golf will especially enjoy this offbeat tale, but at its heart, Chunk's story is one of alienation that should appeal to loners and malcontents of all stripes-Kirkus Reviews