Killer Pappas

by Harry Rice

Coming of Age novel of a young man who achieves physical,
emotional and spiritual growth while becomcing an excellent prize-fighter.

175 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2012

Reviews

[AJourneyWithoutMap · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dysfunctional family with one parent adoring one son and another promoting the other, the stage is perfectly set for things to boil over. When it did, it was more than what everyone bargained. It left the father accidentally killed. No matter what the surviving members of the family did, things can never be the same again.

Killer Pappas by Harry Rice is not a light read as it is not every day that we come across a book where a father is killed by the son. In the story, the main character is Zack Pappas, whose father Cyrus seems to know only how to demean and degrade him. His protective mother Felicity is constantly abused and threatened by his father. During one such incident, it leads to the accidental death of his father which not only threatened to end everything he has worked for but eventually ended it all. He is expelled from school and has to suffer the agony and guilt of killing his father.

Eventually, Zack discovered that Cyrus was not his biological father but someone with a skill in boxing. This leads him to embark on a journey of self-discovery and pursue a career as a professional prize-fighter. Along the way, he is helped by Ping Yang, his uncle and other family members who encouraged him to overcome the feeling of guilt still churning inside him.

Killer Pappas by Harry Rice is a story of fighting your demons, a story of resilience and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. The relationship between Zack and his brother Anthony is beautifully portrayed. There are many memorable characters in the story which will delight many readers. It is forceful, deep and penetrating, a story many will enjoy.

[Veritas Vincit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what this book was about, but the image looked intriguing when I saw it flash across my Amazon screen. Being a fan of Rocky, The Boxer, and a myriad of other sports films that discuss and explore this fascinating sport, I decided to give this a try. It seemed like a short read that might be amusing. However, I wasn't prepared for the emotionally gripping and complex story of self-discovery that I found. I was shocked that so much could happen in such a small book, and every page seemed packed with enough plot development that you had to read every word. Luckily, I never found myself bored. The brotherly bond was beautifully crafted, particularly the underlying fraternal connection that even apparent social separation could never break. I initially assumed that family dynamics would be the crux of the story, but in fact, it became a novel about self-enlightenment, the pursuit of personal beliefs, overcoming monumental challenges, and eventually finding peace with being alone.

Harry Rice is a new author for me, and apparently a new author in general, according to his biography. If this is any indication, he has a talent for digging into emotionally charged situations that seem torn from the pages of reality, so I think he should continue down the road of novel writing. My only critique is that the book was a bit too short, and required relatively large jumps in the timeline which could have been filled out. I felt like we could have seen more transitional moments. In short, I would have preferred to be shown a bit more than told, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the novel as a whole. Well done - keep writing!

[Growls and Grimm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This coming of age story has some very endearing qualities to it. The younger brother living in his older brother’s shadow, a father who favors his first son and a mother that over compensates for the father lack of affection. Now of course most coming of age stories have this type of dynamic but there is almost something sweet in the way that Zack, the main character, interacts with those around him and views himself in his brother’s shadow. With siblings there is always a bit of conflict but in the beginning of the story that amount of fascination and love these brothers have for each other is engaging. Each character of course, sees something in Zack that he seems to miss about himself. While he appears self-conscience about a lot of things, his inability to view himself as others see him leads him down the roads he ventures in this story. As he becomes more aware of himself and his ability to excel in boxing his life begins to change for the better. Even those around him seem to right themselves as he moves through this portion of his life. There were some times in the story that I feel the author telegraphed some things that could have been left out but once I finished reading it came together and just spoke to Zack not knowing himself. I will say that at first I was a little unsure about the way that Zack discovered his relationship. It seemed a little farfetched to me but then again it could come off as one of those “AH” moments. Overall it was a good read, there were some editing things, typos and words in the wrong place but even with that it was a feel good story.

[Rekha Seshadri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Killer Pappas is a short debut novel by Harry Rice revolving around Zack and his uneasy relationship with his family.
Zack is the quiet one, close to his mom Felicity, and finding joy in non-sporty activities including music and debates. While he dabbles in handball and weightlifting, it isn't quite enough for Chuck, his father and the school coach. Constantly compared to the elder brother, a college athlete, and demeaned for his seeming failures, Zack's relationship with his father is stormy and angst ridden.
Felicity's suspected infidelity creates havoc in her marriage and almost turns her into an alcoholic. A chance altercation finds Zack as the unwitting cause of his father's death.

Zack hits a low point in life when he discovers an unpleasant truth. However, his dead father's brother helps him channel his anger and frustration into boxing punches. Zack wins matches bu twill he win hearts/ Will he come to terms with his past and accept the life changing revelation about himself?

The book is well written and focuses on the young man’s journey to limelight and personal growth. Boxing fans will enjoy the chapters on the realistic and well crafted boxing match scenes. The book relies on a "tell rather than show" narrative which left this reader wanting more. The pace ebbs and flows; not necessarily a bad thing. I felt that some of the character representation was one-sided.

A nice book for sports lovers and for readers who enjoy the "coming of age" kind of stories.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good semi-short novel that will grab your attention and hold it until the end. The writer grabs a hold of the issue of a family in turmoil and the troubles that it faces, doesn't face, and should have faced. We start with the chaos of a father that is proud of one son, the athlete, but not proud of the other son, the academic.

There is also the accusation that the wife has cheated on the husband. When that comes out in a heated argument at home the father pulls back his fist in preparation of striking his wife, but Zach, the younger son, throws a left jab that catches dad in the jaw, throws him back and dad hits his head on the wooden hutch and dies.

Now in steps the uncle who is a former boxer. He encourages Zach. Also Zach has a mentor, a older asian man who is always given philosophical advice to Zach.

Students hate Zach, because his dad was their football coach at the high school. Other students hate him because he is arrogant, at least that's what they think.

Zach looses friends, looses his temper, gets kicked out of school and looses his relationship with his older brother. But he gains the knowledge that he is a boxer. But he is still frustrated because something else is hidden in his life.

When he discovers what his hidden secret is it will change his life.

I wasn't excited with the direction the book took at the end, but that is a personal preference. It is well written and will hold your attention.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book wasn't the "light" read I expected it to be, but I was pleased to find myself really digging in and engaging with the story, rather than using this as a diversionary read. In fact, by the end of the book, I can honestly say that I came away with some powerful messages. The construction of family dynamics in the novel was brilliant and painful to read at times, which is what all great novels should be able to do - cause discomfort or a sincere emotional reaction. You felt for the unfairness that Zack faced, and the impossibility of a situation that simply spun out of control is something that we can all relate to. Zack's resilience and determination, as well as the setbacks and the plot twists were mirrors of how life so often is, and although the situation was quite specific, there were moments of relativity that made it easy to feel for the character, and root for him from start to finish. The book remained unpredictable, and didn't follow the hackneyed "comeback" or "self-discovery" storyline. It was unique, powerful, and at the end, I was uplifted. I don't often feel like a book makes me feel "better" about life, but this one certainly did. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good redemption story.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a little bit of difficulty getting into this book, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.

Mr Rice has very nicely woven in all of the heartache, soul searching, crises of faith, and downright physicality that anyone could want.

Zack has lived in his brother's shadow all of his life. Academic as compared to his brother's athletic, Zack finds approval from his father completely non existent. While his mother is encouraging him to try and follow the path into politics, beginning with a run for student council president at his high school, his father believes that Zach will never amount to anything, not even worthy to wear his brother's coat.

Things come to a head one evening when Mr. Pappas raises his hand to his wife. Zach jumps in to protect his mother, and accidentally kills him. From that point on, Zach's life goes spiraling out of control, leaving the young man grabbing at anything to try and save himself. An 'uncle' and an enigmatic oriental counsellor/friend help to put young Zach back on to firm ground, as he finds safety in the world of boxing and a spiritual path that brings him peace.

While not a boxing fan, this book helped me to understand why people are, and to understand the sport a little better.

Good Read!

[Joy Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though boxing is not my favorite sport, Rice made it come alive for me. I very much enjoyed Rice’s writing style and liked the way he created a complicated character in Zack. His mother; however, seemed very superficial and weak, as a character. Aside from Zack’s high school girl friend, and his boxing partner’s sister, there were no additional female characters, and the three total females were not well developed. This is not necessarily a flaw, but more of an observation. One of the most interesting people was Ping Yang, Zack’s mentor. He embodied the classic Asian “mystic”, and seemed piqued when Zack kept using the pronoun “I” in his conversations. This reaction was the closest Ping Yang ever came to being critical. The only thing about the book that was not explained was when & how Zack got over his stuttering problem. Overall, this was a very easy and pleasurable book to read.

[Ian Yates · Rating 5 out of 5]

What starts off as a relatively peaceful story of a young man’s life in high school, it turns tragically to violence and Zach, the title character, has much to regret.
In a bid to redeem some of his failings he turns to boxing under the instruction of a wise old boxing trainer, Manny. You follow his training, sometimes painful, from raw talent through the Golden Gloves competition and beyond.
Whilst he is learning the challenges of the ring, Zach is also facing challenges in his personal life which he must overcome.
The author, Harry Rice, has successfully managed to create a boxing story that combines the action of the sport with a human character who you want to see come to the top. You also hope for a resolution to his personal issues as Zach has been made such a likeable character.
The finale is an excellent description of a fight for family values and acceptance and from start to finish I was hooked. I only hope there will be a sequel to ‘Killer Pappas’.