The Foursome
I have a weakness for cautionary tales that combine wit and wisdom in a sharply defined, well-plotted fashion.
Naturally, I fell for this book.
Apparently so have many others. The book came out on April 18, and is already in its second printing.
The Foursome is McAllister’s second golf novel, after his initial success with The Green. Eddie Caminetti, the lead character in that book, returns in an important role.
I had not read The Green yet, but I did not feel I missed any of the meaning or the fun in The Foursome as a result. I’ll be reading it very soon. [I did since I wrote this review, and it’s also good.]
The Foursome focuses primarily on the characters that make up the book’s title.
Joe Aronica is a 7-handicapper whose successful business is based on his invention of a miracle metal. Although his business seems to be doing extremely well, he is troubled by his apparent inability to expand the market for his product much beyond airplane rudders. One day Aronica receives an invitation to bring friends along to a mysterious resort named Swithen Bairn. If it isn’t their “most memorable golf vacation,” it’s free! Aronica then rounds up his usual partners for the trip.
Jerrold Chelovek, also a 7-handicap, is an advertising consultant with a flair for the burgeoning immigrant market. Peter Perrault is a 5-handicap general practitioner who found a way to be remarkably successful in his medical practice despite the managed care system. Deke Savitch is the foursome’s best player and a program trader making a mint from the computers set up for him at home by his brokerage.
Their typical game among themselves is skins at $1000 per player, so it’s clear that these guys are not shy about betting. Nonetheless, the Boys, as the narrator describes them, have a slight twinge of conscience about not inviting Sam Coolidge, a bogey-level cardiologist whose additional failure to keep up with their nouveau riche success also kept him from joining their exclusive country club.
They’ve “moved beyond” their former friend, you see.
Before they even board the private jet, it’s pretty obvious that there are, as one might say, “some issues” they need to address. None of these characters is a candidate for sainthood, and all of their successes have some fundamental problems at their source.
The trip is not long underway before the reader is hoping against hope that somehow these clowns will get their comeuppance. McAllister doesn’t disappoint.
The Boys meet Caminetti, now the head professional and owner of Swithen Bairn, and immediately swoon on their first view of the resort layout. All their preconceived notions of what makes for a good golf course seem to have been met. (Caminetti has a different opinion, in a short but telling segment.) They also figure they can win some serious cash from Caminetti and others, while also avoiding payment for the trip.
Caminetti knows, however, that golf reveals character. Match play golf brings out character even more so, especially when the money at stake is truly daunting. After all, Caminetti is the one giving the lessons.
The Boys don’t realize they are overmatched, and primarily by their own flaws. They forget, if they ever knew, how to properly play team golf. They become trapped by their own assumptions of superiority and greed. Their further assumption that others are as devious as they are only makes their problems worse.
McAllister proves that reading about self-destruction can be truly enjoyable. Their first match is brutal enough, made worse by the subsequent surprise appearance of their former friend. The second match, the climax of the book, is a great piece of golf writing.
Golfers reading the play by play will find themselves thinking back to similar experiences in match play or serious tournaments. These four players richly deserve their torments, but even the most unsympathetic reader will wince on a few occasions, especially as the stakes run up to the millions.
As with most good satires, however, there remains the possibility of redemption. While I don’t want to give anything away, suffice it to say that the eventual resolutions are very satisfactory.
The Foursome was a lot of fun. Anyone with an interest in satire and golf should fully enjoy McAllister’s handiwork.
Review date: May 11, 2000