The Incredible Winston Browne

Written by Sean Dietrich
Review by Fiona Alison

Winston Browne – war veteran, decades-long volunteer sheriff, Dodgers fan, Little League coach, crack-scrabble player, local peace officer and county-wide babysitter – receives some news which shifts his perspective beyond the comfortable, forcing him to recalibrate his life. Into his quiet little Florida town comes Jessie, a tough, damaged girl on the run, pursued by violent brethren from a frightening cult community.

Everyone knows everyone here and gossip abounds in 1950s Moab. Days pass without much occurring, and baseball is what knits the community together, whether it be fans glued to their transistor radios or participating on the new field, whose foundation was laid by Winston himself, and which now sports brand-new field lights and a washroom with ‘pumped hand soap’ thanks to his input and love of the game. As Jessie shelters under Winston’s protective wing, she gradually learns to trust rather than fear, and to enjoy the simplicity of a life without soul-crushing rules and relentless punishment for every minor infraction. Meanwhile she falls head-over-heels for baseball (despite being a girl!).

Armed with his wry sense of humour and keen understanding of how ordinary and extraordinary people can be, Sean Dietrich has conjured a kind, compassionate, true Southern ‘gentle-man’ in Winston Browne and given him many memorable characters to interact with. This poignant novel is about people, life, community, family, friendship, love, the day-to-day, even the mundane. The momentous happenings are the small but incredible things people do, which are cause for celebration and remembrance. Baseball fans and non-fans alike will enjoy this sometimes humorous, occasionally heartbreaking story about all that we hold dear, which gives us a timely reminder that we need to live in the moment, or life can pass us by while we aren’t paying attention.