Flatbellies, the new golf novel by A. B. Hollingsworth, is a fictionalized memoir of his teenaged years in the heartland of America.

Set in a small Oklahoma town in the emotional mid-1960s -- a place that was simple but a time that was confusing -- Flatbellies is partly about the seemingly unreachable goal of a high school golf team to win the state championship. Most of all, though, Flatbellies is about the way that Chipper, Jay, L.K., Buster, the unforgettable Peachy, and their friends learn to deal with love, loss, friendship, fear, triumph, tragedy, growing up and growing old. And just when you think the author cannot come up with any more unique characters, someone named Smokey Ray Divine struts onto the first tee at the local golf course, and someone called Neander T cruises menacingly through the local teen hang-out. You will hate for this book to end, but you will love the way it does.

Flatbellies, the charming and beautifully written new novel by A. B. Hollingsworth.

It's not about golf. It's about life.