What do you think?
Rate this book
Shadowboxer
Willie Guyles has a secret he's been fighting to keep, something he thought he'd boxed up a long time ago. When he meets a drag prostitute while patrolling the streets of Oklahoma City, the old feelings return, and he can't force them back into the box.
A story about identity crisis, the horrible consequences of bullying, and the detrimental effects of self-loathing, Shadowboxer descends into a world altogether familiar yet strangely askew.
A story about identity crisis, the horrible consequences of bullying, and the detrimental effects of self-loathing, Shadowboxer descends into a world altogether familiar yet strangely askew.
- GenresM M RomanceTransgender
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 3, 2011
122 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 4, 2012
Shadowboxer feels authentic on so many levels. The incredible detail during the night shifts of an Oklahoma City police officer makes you feel you're riding along (especially if you live there, as I do--some of the locations were within blocks of my home. That's always fun.) The sense of danger that any cop faces feels not only real, but often visceral.
The story pulls no punches when it comes to that breed of hardline officers who take advantage of their power, whether it's dealing harshly with suspects or humiliating the rookies they're training. In this story, the main character actually has to take grief from his training officer for ignoring orders, an act which allows him to save a young man's life.
The deepest emotional power of the book rests in the extraordinary insight into the main character, Bill Guyles, who is just starting to deal with a powerful transgender inner conflict. In spite of everything, he can't lose the overriding desire, present since childhood, of wanting to be a woman. The contrast between the macho world of law officers and the guilt-ridden pleasures of owning your feminine side is rich and strongly realized, sometimes leaving the reader feeling as much on the roller coaster as Guyles is.
Paula Sophia, a strong poet as well, writes with a sure sense of character and story. (Possible spoiler alert) The ending missed the opportunity to see a genuine growth arc within Bill. It allows him to senselessly slip back into the very world he hates, which could be argued as realistic. It would have been just as, maybe more, believable to see him manage to win a small victory inside himself. Then the reader could leave the book seeing the start of a real psychic change within.
The story pulls no punches when it comes to that breed of hardline officers who take advantage of their power, whether it's dealing harshly with suspects or humiliating the rookies they're training. In this story, the main character actually has to take grief from his training officer for ignoring orders, an act which allows him to save a young man's life.
The deepest emotional power of the book rests in the extraordinary insight into the main character, Bill Guyles, who is just starting to deal with a powerful transgender inner conflict. In spite of everything, he can't lose the overriding desire, present since childhood, of wanting to be a woman. The contrast between the macho world of law officers and the guilt-ridden pleasures of owning your feminine side is rich and strongly realized, sometimes leaving the reader feeling as much on the roller coaster as Guyles is.
Paula Sophia, a strong poet as well, writes with a sure sense of character and story. (Possible spoiler alert) The ending missed the opportunity to see a genuine growth arc within Bill. It allows him to senselessly slip back into the very world he hates, which could be argued as realistic. It would have been just as, maybe more, believable to see him manage to win a small victory inside himself. Then the reader could leave the book seeing the start of a real psychic change within.
September 7, 2013
Paula Sophia’s novel, Shadowboxing, dares you to keep reading. This is a painful, tense, and authentic account of a young man’s struggle with sexual identity. Bill Guyles joins the Oklahoma City Police force after serving in Iraq. He has a girlfriend, albeit a particularly flaky one, who’s not interested in commitment and comes and goes as she pleases. He does everything he can to join the world of men, he longs for acceptance in that world, yet it terrifies him, too. His is the terror of being found out, branded, and ultimately shunned. Again and again he confronts the hatred of his colleagues towards homosexuals and transgenders, while probing his own soul and the feelings he has long experienced and ignored. He endures the mistreatment of one particularly cruel police officer, only to discover this man has dark secrets of his own. When he can’t take it any more, Guyles confront the office, and uses his skill and training as a boxer to get even. Finally, reflecting on what he’s done, he decides the time has come to live out in the open as the person he truly is. A marvelously affecting novel, delicately yet truthfully rendered, that opens our eyes to the very difficult struggle of self-acceptance.
September 21, 2013
I enjoyed this book very much indeed on two very different levels.
Firstly I found the details of the day to day activities of a police officer in a large American city quite fascinating. There was a ring of truth to it and a lack of romanticism that is so often missing from genre mysteries. The short cuts, the times when it's better to look the other way, the times when the letter of the law is ignored in favour of getting the job done smoothly are described as well as the danger and idealism.
Secondly the struggle endured by Willie Guyles as he tries to balance the demands of his job and society against his innermost desires filled me with sadness for his plight and admiration of his gallantry in handling it.
The authors style is sharp and concise but with enough description to give a clear mental image. Nice cover too. I'll be looking out for more from Paula Sophia.
Four and a half stars.
Note: Book provided by publisher for the purposes of review.
Firstly I found the details of the day to day activities of a police officer in a large American city quite fascinating. There was a ring of truth to it and a lack of romanticism that is so often missing from genre mysteries. The short cuts, the times when it's better to look the other way, the times when the letter of the law is ignored in favour of getting the job done smoothly are described as well as the danger and idealism.
Secondly the struggle endured by Willie Guyles as he tries to balance the demands of his job and society against his innermost desires filled me with sadness for his plight and admiration of his gallantry in handling it.
The authors style is sharp and concise but with enough description to give a clear mental image. Nice cover too. I'll be looking out for more from Paula Sophia.
Four and a half stars.
Note: Book provided by publisher for the purposes of review.
January 18, 2014
It was fascinating to read a first person account of discovering a trans identity over the life course. Some of the writing was eloquent, some was clumsy, particularly the update to the narrative (eg making the protagonist an OIF/OEF vet rather than a Gulf War vet; adapting the childhood to the 90s). It would've made more sense and been more authentic to keep it reflective of (I'm supposing) the author's history. My favorite parts were the descriptions of childhood and I cried when he laid in the piles of leaves and wished to be a girl. Also - pretty cool to read a book that is so rooted in Oklahoma City geography. An added bonus.
March 12, 2013
Being as I live in Oklahoma City, this story seemed so real. I know all the places that were mentioned in the book.
It is a haunting and sad story but kept me guessing what would happen next. This is the second time I have read this author and hope there are many more chances in the future.
It is a haunting and sad story but kept me guessing what would happen next. This is the second time I have read this author and hope there are many more chances in the future.
November 19, 2018
It's not easy to find authentic trans literature by trans authors. Paula Sophia knocks one out of the park with Shadowboxer. Nothing is more pleasing to me as a trans person than to read a piece of fiction with a trans character who feels authentic, as this one does. I know that is because Paula Sophia writes from her experience and because she is a skilled and trained author.
November 11, 2012
This book was fantastic! I highly recommend Shadowboxer to anyone who wants an interesting read. The book is well thought out and the plot fits together neatly. Willie Guyles is an interesting character, but all of the characters surrounding him are equally interesting: Jody, Dana, Hicks, and the other police officers in OKC.
It's the first LGBT novel I have ever read, but it wasn't what I thought. While gender identity was a major part of the book, that wasn't all it was about. In fact, it was just a driving force behind one character, and there were other plot lines and things to think about along the way. Like a fine wine, this book had multiple layers of complexity, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you're looking for something other than Harry Potter and Twilight to read, pick up this book.
It's the first LGBT novel I have ever read, but it wasn't what I thought. While gender identity was a major part of the book, that wasn't all it was about. In fact, it was just a driving force behind one character, and there were other plot lines and things to think about along the way. Like a fine wine, this book had multiple layers of complexity, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. If you're looking for something other than Harry Potter and Twilight to read, pick up this book.
January 2, 2013
I had to stop reading this book. A book that is labeled as containing LGBT characters should not, I repeat NOT, start with a scene where a character refers to a transgender character as "tranny" or "it." I don't know if this character is one I'm supposed to dislike anyway, but that initial scene was so off-putting that I couldn't finish the book. I didn't get to find out what secret the other police officer was hiding, but by the time I finished the first few pages, I was so ready to be done with this book.
July 16, 2011
This is an excellent story. I have never read anything by Paula Sophia before but will certainly look out for her work in future. The main character, Sophie, is a transgender woman dealing with pressures and inner turmoil I could only have begun to imagine. Now, in this beautifully written short story, I was taken into her world. Plot line and characterisations were spot-on. Highly recommended
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews