THE LONG SHOT

author:
KATIE KITAMURA

Fiction
208 pages
Free Press

I will not lie, I bought this book because it had tattoos on the cover and the author and I had the same name. Pathetic criteria for selecting reading material but we all have our methods, and thankfully they led me to this novel. It had been a long time since I read a book so gripping that after I finished I spent the rest of the afternoon continuously re-reading the last thirty pages or so thinking that by some miracle there would magically be more book left to read.

This is Katie Kitamura’s first novel and without a doubt not her last. While her writing style has been compared to the beautiful simplicity brought to literature by the great Ernest Hemingway, I don’t see it. With her there is more of an edge; a greater intensity in her storytelling.

The Long Shot follows a former mixed martial arts star and his trainer over the course of three days as they travel to Mexico and prepare for the rematch of his life, a match that has been ten years in the making against a man who has never lost a fight. Cal is the only fighter ever to take Rivera the distance, going three rounds without a knockout. The book details the mounting tension as Cal and his trainer Riley are afraid to admit to each other and themselves the harsh reality that they might not win the match. The buildup to the climax of this novel is as absolutely electrifying as a ringside seat on fight night. While delving into the relationship between a fighter and his trainer, the book deals with the uncertainty any human may face while charging into life’s many challenges and examines the strength it takes to go into battle knowing that the outcome could bring about an unrecoverable loss.

It’s clear that Kitamura did her research. Her knowledge of both the technical aspects of MMA fighting and her grasp of the emotional difficulty involved are astounding, especially for someone not directly involved in the sport. The writing is so astounding the reader can almost feel every blow.

purchase via IndieBound