Christine Foster
Have you ever felt as useless as a lemon in a game of crazy golf?
Rory may be ADHD or ASD or something else entirely – but she feels equally hopeless at school and at life. Everything she does is wrong and everything her confused mother does to help is wrong. The only thing everyone agrees on is that she should just Try Harder. She even starts to keep a halting diary to make sense of her lonely world, but can’t seem to write more than a sentence at a time.
But Rory’s neurodivergence fuels a powerful imagination which she discovers when a new girl arrives at school. Paige is smart but bored. When she complains there is no magic in their dull suburban lives, Rory knows she finally has something to offer. She begins to spin fantastic tales, pretending to conjure up their very own Spirit Guide. The trouble is, Paige wants real magic. Magic that will change their lives. Magic with Wishes.
Delighted that she can actually fool her new friend, Rory manages to keep the game going. But when Paige’s wishes turn stranger and darker, Rory realizes she has started something she can’t control. She just wanted to be good at something. Now they are both hurtling toward disaster.
My Review:
The Lemon Golf Diary is a heartfelt and insightful story that delves into the challenges of neurodivergence, told through the eyes of Rory, a young girl trying to navigate a world that often misunderstands her. Her journey is both poignant and relatable, as she grapples with the pressures of school, friendship, and her mother’s attempts to help her “fit in.”
Christine Foster skillfully blends humor and emotion, making this a light yet thought-provoking read. Rory’s neurodivergence fuels a vivid imagination, leading to a friendship with Paige and the creation of a fantastical game. But when their “magic” spirals out of control, the story takes a darker, more compelling turn.
While the book shines in its authentic portrayal of neurodivergence and relationships, I found the pacing uneven, with some sections feeling slower and more repetitive. Despite this, the narrative’s emotional depth and the exploration of complex themes make it a rewarding read.
This is a beautifully written novel that balances whimsy with real-life challenges, offering valuable insights into neurodivergence. Suitable for readers of all ages, The Lemon Golf Diary is a touching tale about imagination, friendship, and the search for understanding. A solid 4 stars from me!
The Author:
Beginning her career as an actor, journalist, casting director and script editor, Christine is now a multi-award winning playwright and passionate storyteller whose work has appeared worldwide on both stage and major television networks.
Her plays have been seen in the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Mexico, Korea and the US, as have dozens of scripts for CBS, CBC, and the Family Channel. In the UK she created the hit pub plays series Mixed Doubles and her black comedy, Four Thieves Vinegar ran to four-star reviews in London in 2017 and sold out at the 2019 Brighton Fringe. In the same year she won the Marion Thauer Brown New Audio Script Competition and her monologue Cousins won the 2020 Soundworks UK Contest. Lost in the Willows, a bioplay about Kenneth Grahame completed a tour of the South East UK in 2022. Her full length, Off the Map, was a finalist in the 2022 Woodward/Newman New Play Competition and went on to win the Susan Glaspell Award and receive its World Premiere at Centenary Stage in New Jersey in 2023. Her play Bess – The Other Houdini, the story of the widow of the great magician, toured the UK in 2023 to four star reviews and her latest play, Come Find Me, is a psychological thriller about the effect of guilt on family relationships.
She has published both short stories and poetry but The Lemon Golf Diary is her first novel.
Christine is also the mother of a neurodivergent adult daughter, a child who always defied easy labels, and from whom she has learned more than she can say.
The Book:
Title: The Lemon Golf Diary
Author: Christine Foster
Publisher: Buddha Press
Publication Date: 3 September 2024
Number of pages: 140
The Review:
Thank you to Christine Foster for the gifted paperback copy.
All views expressed are my own. This review, or parts thereof, may also be published on my social medial channels – find me everywhere as momobookdiary – and book websites, such as Amazon, Goodreads, LoveReading, StoryGraph, and Waterstones. All links are correct at the time of publication.
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