I like reading novels by new writers and that is one of the reasons why I chose this one, also it is out my comfort zone which usually consists of thrillers and chick lit.
The book is well written and flows nicely and is in the main a detailed character study of Cal and Riley as well as the ever present Rivera.
The plot is simple, Cal is facing a rematch against the legendary Rivera, four years in the making. UP until the moment he steps into the ring he is confident he will be alright, after all he is the only man whom Rivera has failed to knock out. He realises as soon as he steps into the ring that Rivera means business.
I know nothing about the world of fighting but the way the preparations are described are convincing and compelling, the weigh in and buzz from journalists, the crowd filling the arena ratchet up the tension before the fight begins. As a reader you certainly begin to share in Cal's emotions and will him on, the fight itself is brutal and described in detail.
On the surface the novel may seem to be just a description of a fighter preparing for the most crucial fight of his career but look deeper and you will see that the fight is how Cal and Rivera and Riley judge their own success and failures, what it means to have to let go of your dreams and how things change as we grow older.
A great debut novel that I would recommend.
Sounds like a good book. I'll try to look out for it.
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