Monday, July 18, 2011

Book Review: The Swinger

The Swinger is a work of fiction, written by Michael Bamberger and Alan Shipnuck of Sports Illustrated. Generally, it is about the downfall of the world's number one golfer, Tree Tremont as seen through the eyes of sports writer Josh Dutra who is hired by Tremont to be his communications guy. Women and drugs are the life-wrecking hobbies of Tremont, but in my opinion his downfall is really brought about by his own refusal to limit himself to just doing what is right in favor of doing everything wrong. Entitlement is a strong theme in this book.  Tremont's father helped along the way with some very unfamily-like opinions about how one's life should be lived and even the death of Tremont's mother, while apparently affecting Tremont in a sensitive way, didn't have a lasting effect on his behavior.

Yes, there is the bikini-model wife, the two kids, the spectacular golfing career, that you think of when you make comparisons between Tremont and real life representatives of the sport. However, Bamberger and Shipnuck do an excellent job of preventing the reader from seeing this book as a biography. Their greatest tool in this effort is the character of Josh Dutra. Gradually, The Swinger becomes more about Dutra's life and how the Tremont scandals affect him rather than about Tremont himself.

As I read the book, I found myself thinking things like, "You're kidding me," "Seriously?!" and "Isn't it typical that the sports writer still finds the star athlete a hero after all of these scandals."  I suppose the underlying message in The Swinger would be that no one is all good or all bad, that there's good and bad in everyone. Unfortunately, I just didn't feel that the bad part of Tree was treated with the censure that I felt it deserved. There were excuses and forgiveness all around by everyone, even the bikini model wife who whacks Tree in the head after his cell phone reveals some of his betrayals. This part didn't seem all that fictional as we've seen repeatedly in real life that sports stars are given more than one chance, more than two chances, and mostly, too many chances to screw up.

This doesn't mean I was disappointed with the book. Just that I would prefer a different kind of book. (I'm usually reading romance novels and looking forward to the happy endings.)  The Swinger left me with a lot of questions about men and women and how the two sexes think about and view the same events. The book may not answer those questions, but it will have a lasting impact as I may find myself watching golf through a different set of eyes in the future.

Some aspects of the book I should mention:  Martinsen and his adoptions - reminded me of Brangelina. Boy do I want to see a Brad Pitt on the golf course.  The tabloid headlines playing with the name Tree. Hilarious. Salty Morton. I'll never season my food the same way again.

In conclusion, I think you should read the book. I don't know if you'll find it better or worse than Nancy Grace's coverage of certain historical events, but I hope it will make you think about the same things I did - how men and women think about things like fidelity, honesty and doing the right thing.  Or you could watch the movie When Harry Met Sally. But really, why would you?

(Full disclosure: while I was offered an advance copy of the book, I bought my own copy.)

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