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Underspin
Stay True meets Headshot in this intimate, bruising debut novel about the short and tumultuous life of a charismatic and enigmatic table tennis prodigy, as seen through the eyes of those pulled into his orbit.
Ryan Lo begins playing table tennis at age eight, under the tutelage of his brilliant but ruthless coach Kristian, who sees talent in him that might be nurtured into greatness. Throughout an adolescence circumscribed by Kristian's demanding behavior, Ryan forms jealousy-fueled and mutually adoring friendships with his teammates and competitors, falls in love with fellow table tennis star Anabel Yu, and above all, wins championships.
By twenty-one, Ryan ascends all the way to the German Bundesliga, the highest echelon of international table tennis, just as he was supposed to, but he doesn't stay there. It is clear to all that Ryan Lo was meant to be the greatest in the world. Instead, he abandons competition and is dead before his twenty-fifth birthday. What happened?
In crisp, evocative prose, Underspin masterfully delves beneath the relentless pressure that forges a champion, considering adolescence, estrangement, and the great injustices committed within our closest relationships. A love letter to an underdog sports circuit and a tender exploration of love, loss and abuse, Underspin is a bildungsroman and literary puzzle for readers of Rita Bullwinkel, Hua Hsu, Susan Choi, and Brandon Taylor.
Ryan Lo begins playing table tennis at age eight, under the tutelage of his brilliant but ruthless coach Kristian, who sees talent in him that might be nurtured into greatness. Throughout an adolescence circumscribed by Kristian's demanding behavior, Ryan forms jealousy-fueled and mutually adoring friendships with his teammates and competitors, falls in love with fellow table tennis star Anabel Yu, and above all, wins championships.
By twenty-one, Ryan ascends all the way to the German Bundesliga, the highest echelon of international table tennis, just as he was supposed to, but he doesn't stay there. It is clear to all that Ryan Lo was meant to be the greatest in the world. Instead, he abandons competition and is dead before his twenty-fifth birthday. What happened?
In crisp, evocative prose, Underspin masterfully delves beneath the relentless pressure that forges a champion, considering adolescence, estrangement, and the great injustices committed within our closest relationships. A love letter to an underdog sports circuit and a tender exploration of love, loss and abuse, Underspin is a bildungsroman and literary puzzle for readers of Rita Bullwinkel, Hua Hsu, Susan Choi, and Brandon Taylor.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 23, 2025
39 people are currently reading
2649 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 26, 2025
A coming-of-age novel about a 21-year-old table tennis prodigy who dies before his 25th birthday. Underspin had interesting themes about competition and pressure, abuse and poor boundaries in coaching relationships, and what we can and can’t do to support our friends and folks we care about. Unfortunately I found the writing style uninspired, in that it felt like we were learning a lot about our protagonist Ryan Lo through the eyes of other people, but in a way that felt too tell-y and not show-y. A unique and interesting premise though the execution didn’t leave much room for me to develop a deeper emotional connection with the characters and the story overall.
May 13, 2025
E.Y. Zhao did the impossible: she made me enjoy reading a book about sports.
July 23, 2025
A devastatingly heavy book about ping pong!!!!
Multiple POVs follow ping pong prodigy Ryan and his relationship with his coach, Kristian. An engrossing read. I could not put it down.
Multiple POVs follow ping pong prodigy Ryan and his relationship with his coach, Kristian. An engrossing read. I could not put it down.
September 20, 2025
’You can't seek the past; it has turned its back on you, and you cannot choose, if it ever does turn again, which face it presents to you’
Underspin is the devastatingly haunting story of the life of Ryan Lo, a professional ping pong player who died at just 25-years-old. Told through the viewpoints of those whose lives collided with his, this is a story that is certain to have your heart in pieces by the end of it.
Zhao achieved something incredible with this book. There is something uniquely distressing about reading the abuse that Ryan faced through the hands of his coach, Kristian, not through his own perspective but through others. The constant mystery surrounding his own feelings, own passions, and own ambitions added a distinct element to the narrative. The story centres around Ryan and yet as a reader you finish the book knowing next to nothing about him. Zhao very much places the reader in the same position as the characters that interact with him - observers, for better or worse.
The writing was superb, and while I do think there were a few too many tangents and strands of narrative that went on for a little too long, I was mostly pleasantly surprised by the pacing as well.
This is a book I cannot recommend enough for those that enjoy darkly tragic stories on ‘tortured artists’ and the complexities of abuse of power and position.
Overall, Underspin gets 4/5 stars.
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3
Underspin is the devastatingly haunting story of the life of Ryan Lo, a professional ping pong player who died at just 25-years-old. Told through the viewpoints of those whose lives collided with his, this is a story that is certain to have your heart in pieces by the end of it.
Zhao achieved something incredible with this book. There is something uniquely distressing about reading the abuse that Ryan faced through the hands of his coach, Kristian, not through his own perspective but through others. The constant mystery surrounding his own feelings, own passions, and own ambitions added a distinct element to the narrative. The story centres around Ryan and yet as a reader you finish the book knowing next to nothing about him. Zhao very much places the reader in the same position as the characters that interact with him - observers, for better or worse.
The writing was superb, and while I do think there were a few too many tangents and strands of narrative that went on for a little too long, I was mostly pleasantly surprised by the pacing as well.
This is a book I cannot recommend enough for those that enjoy darkly tragic stories on ‘tortured artists’ and the complexities of abuse of power and position.
Overall, Underspin gets 4/5 stars.
thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! <3
May 3, 2025
Underspin is a surprising yet devastatingly heavy novel, focusing on the cruel underbelly of adolescence professional sports, gross abuses of power, on grief, trauma, and the impact of staying silent. Ryan Lo was one of the best table tennis players of his generation, that is, until his untimely death. Underspin begins with the day of his funeral, details of his demise unclear, and then rewinds to tell the story of Ryan’s life from the perspective of others. From the eyes of friends, acquaintances, and even strangers, we slowly piece together Ryan’s deeply complex yet misunderstood story. He is sweet and kind at times, he is distasteful in other stories, and his toxic relationship with his coach hangs over each interaction like a dark cloud. What is really going on in Ryan Lo’s mind?
Underspin was a heavy and slow read, not just from the intense material, but from entering into completely new lives and stories each chapter— Zhao does an excellent job in detailing the ins and outs of each backstory, down to each minute detail. As beautifully as the novel was written, sometimes the text was confusing to read with long streams of consciousnesses and overlapping thoughts, making some particular stories hard to follow. But overall, Underspin is an extraordinary and dynamic read, unlike any book I’ve read before. E.Y. Zhao writes with such power and heart, and I appreciated the storytelling structure as a realistic way to understand the complexities and dynamics our characters.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC
Underspin was a heavy and slow read, not just from the intense material, but from entering into completely new lives and stories each chapter— Zhao does an excellent job in detailing the ins and outs of each backstory, down to each minute detail. As beautifully as the novel was written, sometimes the text was confusing to read with long streams of consciousnesses and overlapping thoughts, making some particular stories hard to follow. But overall, Underspin is an extraordinary and dynamic read, unlike any book I’ve read before. E.Y. Zhao writes with such power and heart, and I appreciated the storytelling structure as a realistic way to understand the complexities and dynamics our characters.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC
November 23, 2025
Virtuosic!!!
September 20, 2025
Zhao’s debut opens with friends and family commemorating Ryan, a Chinese American man in his mid-twenties who had a promising future as a competitive table tennis player. The author tells Ryan’s story from over ten characters’ perspectives, including Ryan’s renowned German coach, Kristian, who repeatedly sexually assaults his player. Others include Anabel (on-and-off girlfriend to Ryan), Denny (table tennis teammate and colleague to Ryan), and Hannah (trainee to Kristian). After Ryan’s death, and near the end of the book in Joan’s section, Anabel reports her suspicion of Kristian’s sexual misconduct to the table tennis governing board, and Kristian gets charged “with [a] misdemeanour [for] child molestation of a fourteen-year-old student.”
The author’s innovative form generates a detached sense of spectatorship as she cobbles together the composite narrators, whose first-person views never repeat, and concludes with a brief section from Ryan. Generally moving linearly, readers catch a glimpse into a character’s world at a particular point in time, always in reference to Ryan. A main theme in this contemporary work centers on the community of table tennis enthusiasts, ranging from exercising at the club to competing at a professional athletic level. Playing at teenage Ryan’s caliber demands sustained ambition, and when he and other players don’t reach their planned goals, they recalibrate their relationship with the sport. The novel’s form, though unique, may be bolstered in three ways. If readers could (1) build stronger connections with several of the host of characters, (2) view their interior life with more clarity, such as Denny’s storyline, and (3) imagine their world and setting more vividly, then Underspin would provide readers with more stability to balance the unconventional configuration with attachments to characters.
I appreciate Zhao bringing her childhood sport to these pages, and I look forward to what she creates next.
My thanks to Astra House and NetGalley for an ARC.
The author’s innovative form generates a detached sense of spectatorship as she cobbles together the composite narrators, whose first-person views never repeat, and concludes with a brief section from Ryan. Generally moving linearly, readers catch a glimpse into a character’s world at a particular point in time, always in reference to Ryan. A main theme in this contemporary work centers on the community of table tennis enthusiasts, ranging from exercising at the club to competing at a professional athletic level. Playing at teenage Ryan’s caliber demands sustained ambition, and when he and other players don’t reach their planned goals, they recalibrate their relationship with the sport. The novel’s form, though unique, may be bolstered in three ways. If readers could (1) build stronger connections with several of the host of characters, (2) view their interior life with more clarity, such as Denny’s storyline, and (3) imagine their world and setting more vividly, then Underspin would provide readers with more stability to balance the unconventional configuration with attachments to characters.
I appreciate Zhao bringing her childhood sport to these pages, and I look forward to what she creates next.
My thanks to Astra House and NetGalley for an ARC.
July 14, 2025
Fantastic read! Introduced me to an intense world of high school/pro table tennis through the perspective of players, coaches, refs, etc. Interesting story of a character with whom all narrators are obsessed but who the reader can never get to know intimately. Don't think I've ever seen a book do that - it kept me going through the book, wanting to get to know Ryan more, and felt really spot on for a novel about a fleet and flighty character we're always watching at a ping pong table.
I also loved Marcy's character, and the way she thinks about growing up and "turning out". The way she write about early-twenties stress really resonated with me and has stuck with me since.
I also loved Marcy's character, and the way she thinks about growing up and "turning out". The way she write about early-twenties stress really resonated with me and has stuck with me since.
May 12, 2025
A stunning debut which I’m already desperate to re-read! It’s at once thrilling and devastating, with a rich and compelling cast of characters, providing an intimate look into the world of competitive table tennis and one particular prodigy. Phenomenal read, highly recommend for lovers of niche sports, complex relationships, and/or good books.
Want to read
April 11, 2025I want to eat this cover
September 21, 2025
In "Underspin", E. Y. Zhao sets the stage for the rise and fall of a table tennis protege - all told through the perspectives of those who are a part of his life.
The son of two high-performing surgeons in California, Ryan Lo has everything he needs for an incredible life. From a young age, he's trained for greatness in the sport of table tennis under the watchful eye of his coach Kristian, and made his name known across numerous competitions and victories. Yet, even in the early pages of this novel, it's revealed that he dies before he's hit 25 years of age - a jarring discovery, but one that carries the reader along through the rest of the story. In alternating perspectives and voices, Zhao reveals more details about Lo's life - from his childhood where he garnered envy and jealousy from his fellow peers training under Coach Kristian, to his long-time girlfriend Anabel Yu who he met in the table tennis competitions, and in later years, to a senior couple who receive lessons from him.
As someone who's Chinese American, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Despite the fact that table tennis (ping pong) isn't quite as well-known or appreciated in the US, the grueling hours of training, the sacrifices made, the physical pain and impairments that it can cause are made clear here - and for those unfamiliar with the sport, gives readers an appreciation for it. And just as it happens in any other sport, it poses risks to its players, including the toll on their physical and mental health, the tempting glory of fame and money, and the potential for abuse of its players. While I did find the sheer number of characters and perspectives difficult to keep track of, it didn't detract from the overall novel and was a unique storytelling that helped paint the life and character of its protagonist.
Very much a recommended read when "Underspin" is published in late September!
The son of two high-performing surgeons in California, Ryan Lo has everything he needs for an incredible life. From a young age, he's trained for greatness in the sport of table tennis under the watchful eye of his coach Kristian, and made his name known across numerous competitions and victories. Yet, even in the early pages of this novel, it's revealed that he dies before he's hit 25 years of age - a jarring discovery, but one that carries the reader along through the rest of the story. In alternating perspectives and voices, Zhao reveals more details about Lo's life - from his childhood where he garnered envy and jealousy from his fellow peers training under Coach Kristian, to his long-time girlfriend Anabel Yu who he met in the table tennis competitions, and in later years, to a senior couple who receive lessons from him.
As someone who's Chinese American, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Despite the fact that table tennis (ping pong) isn't quite as well-known or appreciated in the US, the grueling hours of training, the sacrifices made, the physical pain and impairments that it can cause are made clear here - and for those unfamiliar with the sport, gives readers an appreciation for it. And just as it happens in any other sport, it poses risks to its players, including the toll on their physical and mental health, the tempting glory of fame and money, and the potential for abuse of its players. While I did find the sheer number of characters and perspectives difficult to keep track of, it didn't detract from the overall novel and was a unique storytelling that helped paint the life and character of its protagonist.
Very much a recommended read when "Underspin" is published in late September!
September 20, 2025
Oooh this was goood!! It pulls you into a world you probably haven’t thought much about, professional table tennis, but quickly shows it’s about way more than just the sport. The book begins at Ryan Lo’s funeral, then unravels his story through people who knew him in different ways.
Each chapter shifts perspective, so you see Ryan as a prodigy, a bully, a flirt, and an overall mess, depending on who’s telling the story. It makes the book feel layered and alive, even if you never quite pin down who Ryan really was. You get fragments that slowly build into a picture of a life both extraordinary and tragic.
It’s a heavy read. Zhao dives into abuse, power, and trauma. I found myself hooked by how human it all felt. The table tennis backdrop is fascinating, but what really hits are the bigger themes: the way adults fail kids, the silence that allows harm to continue, and the way grief reshapes memory.
Underspin was beautifully done.
Each chapter shifts perspective, so you see Ryan as a prodigy, a bully, a flirt, and an overall mess, depending on who’s telling the story. It makes the book feel layered and alive, even if you never quite pin down who Ryan really was. You get fragments that slowly build into a picture of a life both extraordinary and tragic.
It’s a heavy read. Zhao dives into abuse, power, and trauma. I found myself hooked by how human it all felt. The table tennis backdrop is fascinating, but what really hits are the bigger themes: the way adults fail kids, the silence that allows harm to continue, and the way grief reshapes memory.
Underspin was beautifully done.
September 21, 2025
This has all the makings of a great book: a mystery, an important social issue, a deep look into a world few people get to see. But with too many narrators, the book jumps between characters, it’s hard to follow and I think maybe the plot doesn’t move at all.
But I was definitely confused. The audiobook narrator is slow and choppy and I had a hard time following it (too slow to listen to regular time, too choppy at 1.25 speed).
Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
But I was definitely confused. The audiobook narrator is slow and choppy and I had a hard time following it (too slow to listen to regular time, too choppy at 1.25 speed).
Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 19, 2025
I loved it.
All the best parts about a collection of stories—the range of voices and writing styles, the ping-ponging of our attention, how big this world ends up seeming and how high the stakes feel, since everyone's obsessed with this niche world. Plus, some really great jolts of satire in the yuppie investors, of humor in Herr Doktor, while the characters come across as emotionally complex and believably weird.
But also all the best parts of a novel—the slow unfolding of the mystery of this kid, who in some ways is unknowable—immature, still figuring himself out, sometimes angry and sometimes blissfully happy. I don't really mind not knowing everything by the end—just enjoying watch the dust settle after the whirlwind passes by.
All the best parts about a collection of stories—the range of voices and writing styles, the ping-ponging of our attention, how big this world ends up seeming and how high the stakes feel, since everyone's obsessed with this niche world. Plus, some really great jolts of satire in the yuppie investors, of humor in Herr Doktor, while the characters come across as emotionally complex and believably weird.
But also all the best parts of a novel—the slow unfolding of the mystery of this kid, who in some ways is unknowable—immature, still figuring himself out, sometimes angry and sometimes blissfully happy. I don't really mind not knowing everything by the end—just enjoying watch the dust settle after the whirlwind passes by.
September 25, 2025
Interesting book that started out with a lot of intrigue but ultimately had an anti-climactic ending. The author weaves in and out of a lot of different perspectives that provides a through line that is engaging and keeps you reading to figure out what the mystery surrounding Ryan is. However, that fizzles out towards the end and doesn't give the satisfying ending that I personally was looking for. Not my cup of tea.
Also, the author's writing style can be difficult to follow as they overuse commas to string together different thoughts/ideas but it ends up being very difficult to follow. There was one sentence towards the end that had nine commas and a semi colon.
Also, the author's writing style can be difficult to follow as they overuse commas to string together different thoughts/ideas but it ends up being very difficult to follow. There was one sentence towards the end that had nine commas and a semi colon.
June 4, 2025
Underspin begins at the funeral of Ryan Lo - a talented table tennis player - and deep dives into his short life, rewinding the years to follow his growth from child to adult, through the eyes of the people who knew him best, knew him barely, or had been affected by him in some way, shape or form. It touches on the darkness that comes with being a talented young athlete, abuse of power, trauma, and sexual assault in a complex but sensitive way; never explicitly going into details, but leaving enough hints for you to understand the truth within the fractured timeline of Ryan's life.
Each chapter is written from the perspective of a different person whom Ryan knew, from various periods of his life. Each chapter has a distinct style and voice, which is fascinating and incredibly clever. However, it's also frustrating because, despite watching this child grow into a young man, being with him through multiple important events, competitions, and moments, you never truly get to understand him. You never find the real Ryan, because all you get to see of him is the version that each character sees - and they all view him differently. For some, Ryan is an unpleasant, cruel bully; to others, he's charming, attractive, and admirable. All I wanted to know was: Who IS Ryan Lo, and what really happened to him? But those questions are never explicitly answered, leaving you to piece the puzzle together, one story at a time.
Admittedly, this was a slow read for me - not just because of the heaviness of the implied content, but because of the long, winding sentences the author used regularly throughout the book that, on many an occasion, made me go back and re-read sometimes pages at a time. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing - it gave me time and space to think about the words I was reading, but I did find it affected not only the pacing, but also how often I wanted to reach for the book to read more.
Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this book because it left me feeling an emptiness inside that I can't quite explain, but that in itself should be testament to how well written, thoughtful, and thought-provoking it is. A difficult read? Yes. A worthwhile read? Also, definitely yes.
Thank you, NetGalley and Astra Publishing, for the ARC. It's greatly appreciated <3
Each chapter is written from the perspective of a different person whom Ryan knew, from various periods of his life. Each chapter has a distinct style and voice, which is fascinating and incredibly clever. However, it's also frustrating because, despite watching this child grow into a young man, being with him through multiple important events, competitions, and moments, you never truly get to understand him. You never find the real Ryan, because all you get to see of him is the version that each character sees - and they all view him differently. For some, Ryan is an unpleasant, cruel bully; to others, he's charming, attractive, and admirable. All I wanted to know was: Who IS Ryan Lo, and what really happened to him? But those questions are never explicitly answered, leaving you to piece the puzzle together, one story at a time.
Admittedly, this was a slow read for me - not just because of the heaviness of the implied content, but because of the long, winding sentences the author used regularly throughout the book that, on many an occasion, made me go back and re-read sometimes pages at a time. Which wasn't necessarily a bad thing - it gave me time and space to think about the words I was reading, but I did find it affected not only the pacing, but also how often I wanted to reach for the book to read more.
Overall, I can't say I enjoyed this book because it left me feeling an emptiness inside that I can't quite explain, but that in itself should be testament to how well written, thoughtful, and thought-provoking it is. A difficult read? Yes. A worthwhile read? Also, definitely yes.
Thank you, NetGalley and Astra Publishing, for the ARC. It's greatly appreciated <3
July 17, 2025
A darker read than I thought I was getting myself into. But then again, I feel like that’s the landscape of children in pro/ competitive sport spaces.
Zhao did a great job of capturing some of the unique/ disturbing truths of these communities, in a well written, character driven story.
Some bits that didn’t vibe as much with me were the length (I feel like this story could have been as effectively told in 50 less pages), and complexity of some of the writing (though mostly nice prose, other times it just felt overly wordy).
Congrats to the author on this impactful debut novel, and thanks to publishers for opportunity to early review it
Zhao did a great job of capturing some of the unique/ disturbing truths of these communities, in a well written, character driven story.
Some bits that didn’t vibe as much with me were the length (I feel like this story could have been as effectively told in 50 less pages), and complexity of some of the writing (though mostly nice prose, other times it just felt overly wordy).
Congrats to the author on this impactful debut novel, and thanks to publishers for opportunity to early review it
September 20, 2025
I must admit that I know close to nothing about table tennis but no prior knowledge is required to appreciate the lyricism of the prose or the puzzle box-like structure of the narrative.
The novel employs multiple POVs with each chapter being told from the perspective of a character who knows, or should I say, knew Ryan the table tennis prodigy. The story opens with his funeral and a sense that he had died too young, having only been in his 20s. The other chapters jump across the timeline, leaving it up to the readers to piece together the events of Ryan's life up till the moment of his death.
Ryan is the main character, but in his absence, the narrative makes do with fragmentary recounts of him as viewed from the outside, through lenses of envy, desire, resentment, obligation, love, or indifference. The result is that Ryan remains enigmatic, his motives only guessed at but impossible to know clearly. Even when the closing chapter shows us a snapshot of him as an ordinary guy on the street, it differs from the chapters in that there is no dive into his interiority to show us what he's thinking or how he's feeling. In his life as in his death, Ryan is inscrutable.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.
The novel employs multiple POVs with each chapter being told from the perspective of a character who knows, or should I say, knew Ryan the table tennis prodigy. The story opens with his funeral and a sense that he had died too young, having only been in his 20s. The other chapters jump across the timeline, leaving it up to the readers to piece together the events of Ryan's life up till the moment of his death.
Ryan is the main character, but in his absence, the narrative makes do with fragmentary recounts of him as viewed from the outside, through lenses of envy, desire, resentment, obligation, love, or indifference. The result is that Ryan remains enigmatic, his motives only guessed at but impossible to know clearly. Even when the closing chapter shows us a snapshot of him as an ordinary guy on the street, it differs from the chapters in that there is no dive into his interiority to show us what he's thinking or how he's feeling. In his life as in his death, Ryan is inscrutable.
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.
September 28, 2025
on paper this sounded like a perfect book for me and i was excited for a possible new favorite, however something fizzled out halfway through and the momentum was never reached again. still - i cant believe i read a book about table tennis.
November 15, 2025
no shade to my dear sport of table tennis but i did not like this book. too difficult to understand so i eventually just gave up.
Want to read
July 9, 2025HELLO THE COVER?!!
October 29, 2025
Underspin revolves around the rise and fall of Ryan Lo, a table tennis star.
The story is told from the POV of Ryan’s friends, acquaintances, and admirers, through which we’re shown different facets of Ryan’s being, but never from Ryan himself.
We get a glimpse of the inner world of competitive table tennis—brotherhood born out of necessity from shared trauma, the fragile balance and nebulousness of a coach/student relationship, tunnel vision of living and breathing a sport, and the inevitability of the isolation that follows when that sport is your entire identity and purpose.
Ryan’s obsession is something that each character admires, but can’t fully understand, making him unreachable, more like myth than reality. Though it’s all-consuming, there’s solace in Ryan’s lonely but familiar world of eliteness. It’s a place of pain, anxiety, destruction, but it’s also the only place where he finds meaning. The distanced, bordering voyeuristic, tone in the writing shows just how untouchable Ryan’s world is.
Each chapter introduces a new POV, each authentic and distinct, but I wish each character had more depth. Rather than purely focusing on breadth of perspective, which reduced each voice’s role to simply being another audience member, some characters had their own stories worth diving deeper into. I recognize Zhao’s artistic choice in doing so to make the reader feel like an outsider looking in, but for me, the missing piece that would’ve made this story harder-hitting was dimensionality of the full cast of characters.
As an aside, I got lost in some of the run-on passages which became disorienting at times. But when those tangents and metaphorical musings landed, the imagery and atmosphere evoked were vivid.
It’s easy to find stories about the glory of greatness, but Underspin is unique in that it unveils the oft overlooked, less glamorous costs of that greatness. Think along the lines of Perfect Blue and Whiplash, but for table tennis.
The story is told from the POV of Ryan’s friends, acquaintances, and admirers, through which we’re shown different facets of Ryan’s being, but never from Ryan himself.
We get a glimpse of the inner world of competitive table tennis—brotherhood born out of necessity from shared trauma, the fragile balance and nebulousness of a coach/student relationship, tunnel vision of living and breathing a sport, and the inevitability of the isolation that follows when that sport is your entire identity and purpose.
Ryan’s obsession is something that each character admires, but can’t fully understand, making him unreachable, more like myth than reality. Though it’s all-consuming, there’s solace in Ryan’s lonely but familiar world of eliteness. It’s a place of pain, anxiety, destruction, but it’s also the only place where he finds meaning. The distanced, bordering voyeuristic, tone in the writing shows just how untouchable Ryan’s world is.
Each chapter introduces a new POV, each authentic and distinct, but I wish each character had more depth. Rather than purely focusing on breadth of perspective, which reduced each voice’s role to simply being another audience member, some characters had their own stories worth diving deeper into. I recognize Zhao’s artistic choice in doing so to make the reader feel like an outsider looking in, but for me, the missing piece that would’ve made this story harder-hitting was dimensionality of the full cast of characters.
As an aside, I got lost in some of the run-on passages which became disorienting at times. But when those tangents and metaphorical musings landed, the imagery and atmosphere evoked were vivid.
It’s easy to find stories about the glory of greatness, but Underspin is unique in that it unveils the oft overlooked, less glamorous costs of that greatness. Think along the lines of Perfect Blue and Whiplash, but for table tennis.
December 4, 2025
There are books that give me such a deep look at the inner workings of a particular subculture — these books can only be written by people who know that subculture inside and out. Underspin is perhaps the best example of this I’ve seen in a long time.
Ultimately, though, given all its potential I found Underspin to be disappointing. The writing style was so detailed as to be confusing, somehow? It was hard to comprehend huge blocks of detail and somehow keep track of what was an important plot development vs what was worldbuilding vs what was completely extraneous. I think the author was trying to be experimental (this book reads as very MFA) but it just didn’t land for me.
Zhao made other authorial choices that were challenging. There was a large cast of characters involved in this story. Each chapter was written from the perspective of a different character (just not Ryan who is ostensibly the protagonist). On one hand, this was extremely effective in establishing how Ryan was an amalgamation of everyone else’s expectations of him. He had no identity outside of who others believed him to be. On the other hand, this meant we never heard from Ryan himself, and it was hard to get re-invested in a new character’s perspective/voice every time a new chapter started. It was also hard to understand the passage of time with so many missing time blocks.
About halfway through, with so many different perspectives and the overwhelming level of detail, I sort of mentally checked out. I stuck with reading just to see what would happen to Ryan. I found the pacing of the end chapters to pick up a little, but then it went off the rails and I was disappointed.
Four stars for potential and taking a risk. Two stars for execution. Three stars overall.
Ultimately, though, given all its potential I found Underspin to be disappointing. The writing style was so detailed as to be confusing, somehow? It was hard to comprehend huge blocks of detail and somehow keep track of what was an important plot development vs what was worldbuilding vs what was completely extraneous. I think the author was trying to be experimental (this book reads as very MFA) but it just didn’t land for me.
Zhao made other authorial choices that were challenging. There was a large cast of characters involved in this story. Each chapter was written from the perspective of a different character (just not Ryan who is ostensibly the protagonist). On one hand, this was extremely effective in establishing how Ryan was an amalgamation of everyone else’s expectations of him. He had no identity outside of who others believed him to be. On the other hand, this meant we never heard from Ryan himself, and it was hard to get re-invested in a new character’s perspective/voice every time a new chapter started. It was also hard to understand the passage of time with so many missing time blocks.
About halfway through, with so many different perspectives and the overwhelming level of detail, I sort of mentally checked out. I stuck with reading just to see what would happen to Ryan. I found the pacing of the end chapters to pick up a little, but then it went off the rails and I was disappointed.
Four stars for potential and taking a risk. Two stars for execution. Three stars overall.
September 7, 2025
This is a fascinating look into a world that is new to me. I love reading about areas of competition and expertise which are completely foreign to my experience. It opens your mind to the wide range of experiences and lives available to us as people. While the world of table tennis is new, and I learned a lot about the passions there, some themes are familiar. We've learned about the abuse that happened for many years with Olympic gymnastics, and here also there is a story of far-reaching abuse that many could see peripherally but did not pinpoint, allowing it to continue far too long. Here also, we see the dynamic of families with children who are of the age just beyond where they realise their own parent's (and other adults) failures. This is something I can relate to and I'm sure many readers will be able to see in their own experiences as well.
At times, I found myself a bit disoriented, unsure what a character had just experienced. I think that was intentional; it mirrors the confusion people feel in uncertain or disturbing situations.. With so many characters, each connected in some way to the central mystery, the narrative demands close attention. I found that the demand for complete attention is intense; understanding who each character is, keeping track of their relationship, while I'm also learning about table tennis was a challenge at times.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this and will now watch a little closer when I see table tennis competitions on the sports channels.
Thanks to Astra Publishing House and NetGalley for access.
At times, I found myself a bit disoriented, unsure what a character had just experienced. I think that was intentional; it mirrors the confusion people feel in uncertain or disturbing situations.. With so many characters, each connected in some way to the central mystery, the narrative demands close attention. I found that the demand for complete attention is intense; understanding who each character is, keeping track of their relationship, while I'm also learning about table tennis was a challenge at times.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this and will now watch a little closer when I see table tennis competitions on the sports channels.
Thanks to Astra Publishing House and NetGalley for access.
October 11, 2025
I was really looking forward to this book and hoping to enjoy it - but sadly I did not.
There's something about the writing that made me feel like I was floating on the surface of the words instead of being pulled into a story. Something impenetrable where I just couldn't get into the story.
I actually like the structure of the story being told by different perspectives. I think it could be easy for that to be a deterrent for the book, but it wasn't for me. Even though at the beginning of each section, it did take a few pages for me to be situated in what was going on and who was the narrator - yes, it was a little jarring at the very beginning but I could understand the context pretty quickly. And I thought it was cool to have this cast of different characters. But it was a little confusing because "Coach" could be Kristian or Gao and in the Dennis/Denny chapter, it felt like Dennis and Denny were used interchangeably for the same person sometimes?
After a while, I was just reading to get this book over with. There were certain parts that I enjoyed and felt seized by and compelled to read, but I would say those were less frequent than the parts I was thoroughly bored by.
I think also the play by play descriptions of the ping pong matches could a little boring, because I can't really imagine the moves, and I don't really care to. I'm more interested in the dynamics around the game (e.g., what does this game mean for this character, what are the stakes) than in the actual games themselves.
There's something about the writing that made me feel like I was floating on the surface of the words instead of being pulled into a story. Something impenetrable where I just couldn't get into the story.
I actually like the structure of the story being told by different perspectives. I think it could be easy for that to be a deterrent for the book, but it wasn't for me. Even though at the beginning of each section, it did take a few pages for me to be situated in what was going on and who was the narrator - yes, it was a little jarring at the very beginning but I could understand the context pretty quickly. And I thought it was cool to have this cast of different characters. But it was a little confusing because "Coach" could be Kristian or Gao and in the Dennis/Denny chapter, it felt like Dennis and Denny were used interchangeably for the same person sometimes?
After a while, I was just reading to get this book over with. There were certain parts that I enjoyed and felt seized by and compelled to read, but I would say those were less frequent than the parts I was thoroughly bored by.
I think also the play by play descriptions of the ping pong matches could a little boring, because I can't really imagine the moves, and I don't really care to. I'm more interested in the dynamics around the game (e.g., what does this game mean for this character, what are the stakes) than in the actual games themselves.
September 17, 2025
The lives of competitive table tennis athletes from age 8 to adulthood are the focus of this novel. It deftly covers the struggles of youthful athletes navigating relationships with their teammates/competitors, coaches, judges, and parents in a way that is applicable to many sports. Self-talk, competitiveness, dedication, etc. are all touched on as we follow these athletes from practice sessions to meets. The vignettes of story are pinned to a timeline that keeps things neat and orderly.
I just didn’t care enough about the main characters. We see inside their heads: we known what happens and can make assumptions about their behavior, but because they are children they haven’t been able to make sense of their experiences. It’s left to the reader to fill in the many, many blanks. 3.4 rounded down.
As for the audiobook, it would have been better if a female actor voiced the female chapters. While many women can successfully do male characters, in my opinion this male voice actor did not do a great job with female voices.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @BrillianceAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook #Underspin for review purposes. Publication date: Sept 23, 2025.
I just didn’t care enough about the main characters. We see inside their heads: we known what happens and can make assumptions about their behavior, but because they are children they haven’t been able to make sense of their experiences. It’s left to the reader to fill in the many, many blanks. 3.4 rounded down.
As for the audiobook, it would have been better if a female actor voiced the female chapters. While many women can successfully do male characters, in my opinion this male voice actor did not do a great job with female voices.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @BrillianceAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook #Underspin for review purposes. Publication date: Sept 23, 2025.
October 16, 2025
What an ambitious debut! While I absolutely loved this concept of this book about a young table tennis prodigy's short life and all the various coaches, competitors, friends, and exes caught in his orbit, I felt the execution unfortunately fell short.
The prologue opens with Ryan's funeral, and from there, the book is structured with roughly chronological chapters each told from a different character's point of view. It's an ambitious way to write, but I was disappointed that many chapters focused more on the individual acquaintance's own life and experiences, rather than on Ryan. At times, Ryan was only tangentially mentioned or served more as a proxy for the other character's feelings of competitiveness or inadequacy compared to him. I think the author may have intended to focus more on the impact of his life on the people around him, but not getting to learn much about Ryan made me feel less invested in the central mystery around how he had died as well.
I also didn't enjoy the writing style at times. There were many tangents and so many run-on sentences, with clauses connected by commas on commas on commas. Although it was a relatively short book, this writing style felt so tiresome at times and the many tangents also made the book feel slow to me.
I’ll be very curious to read what E.Y. Zhao writes next regardless!
The prologue opens with Ryan's funeral, and from there, the book is structured with roughly chronological chapters each told from a different character's point of view. It's an ambitious way to write, but I was disappointed that many chapters focused more on the individual acquaintance's own life and experiences, rather than on Ryan. At times, Ryan was only tangentially mentioned or served more as a proxy for the other character's feelings of competitiveness or inadequacy compared to him. I think the author may have intended to focus more on the impact of his life on the people around him, but not getting to learn much about Ryan made me feel less invested in the central mystery around how he had died as well.
I also didn't enjoy the writing style at times. There were many tangents and so many run-on sentences, with clauses connected by commas on commas on commas. Although it was a relatively short book, this writing style felt so tiresome at times and the many tangents also made the book feel slow to me.
I’ll be very curious to read what E.Y. Zhao writes next regardless!
August 23, 2025
E. Y. Zhao’s Underspin caught my attention as I’ve enjoyed other novels about sport, such as Walter Tevis’s The Colour of Money and The Queen’s Gambit. This novel follows Ryan Luo, a table tennis prodigy, and tries to piece together why his life ends so tragically at the age of 25.
I liked the structure in that each chapter is told from the point of view of someone who knew Ryan. This means the reader only ever sees him in fragments, through other people’s eyes. At times, though, I found this approach hard work. I often had to reread passages to keep track, and I sometimes got confused between the different characters. Because of this, I never felt I fully understood Ryan, although perhaps that’s the intention, that he remains partly unknowable.
The novel wasn’t what I expected at all, but in some ways that’s a positive. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and explored themes like grief, abuse, ambition, friendship, and adolescence. While I found it occasionally heavy going, I’m glad I read it as it offered something different.
I received an advance review copy from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.
I liked the structure in that each chapter is told from the point of view of someone who knew Ryan. This means the reader only ever sees him in fragments, through other people’s eyes. At times, though, I found this approach hard work. I often had to reread passages to keep track, and I sometimes got confused between the different characters. Because of this, I never felt I fully understood Ryan, although perhaps that’s the intention, that he remains partly unknowable.
The novel wasn’t what I expected at all, but in some ways that’s a positive. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and explored themes like grief, abuse, ambition, friendship, and adolescence. While I found it occasionally heavy going, I’m glad I read it as it offered something different.
I received an advance review copy from the publisher and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.
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October 8, 2025A difficult one for me to rate because this beautiful, interesting book was not for me. Very grateful to NetGalley for the ARC!
Underspin is guarded by design. We're almost immediately launched into a rotating POV of vignettes with a ton of interiority and little exposition, so I knew I needed to be up for a more challenging, mysterious slow burn (which is shade to me as a brain-rot mood reader and not a reflection of the book). There's a sort of meta-voyeur thing going on in each character's head, and this heaviness can be a lot to hold as a reader if unprepared.
I requested this book because my favorite part of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was learning about video games, and one of my favorite books is Honeybees and Distant Thunder, and I thought Underspin would be similar based on the Netgalley description. It was similarly illuminating, but not as hopeful.
E. Y. Zhao is a mega-talented writer. Each character felt distinct - impressive to me since there were so many (though I wish we were afforded more time to make them feel more dimensional). I look forward to reading more from this author!
Underspin is guarded by design. We're almost immediately launched into a rotating POV of vignettes with a ton of interiority and little exposition, so I knew I needed to be up for a more challenging, mysterious slow burn (which is shade to me as a brain-rot mood reader and not a reflection of the book). There's a sort of meta-voyeur thing going on in each character's head, and this heaviness can be a lot to hold as a reader if unprepared.
I requested this book because my favorite part of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow was learning about video games, and one of my favorite books is Honeybees and Distant Thunder, and I thought Underspin would be similar based on the Netgalley description. It was similarly illuminating, but not as hopeful.
E. Y. Zhao is a mega-talented writer. Each character felt distinct - impressive to me since there were so many (though I wish we were afforded more time to make them feel more dimensional). I look forward to reading more from this author!
September 20, 2025
E. Y. Zhao's debut novel, Underspin, masterfully unravels the mysterious death of table tennis prodigy Ryan Lo before his 25th birthday. Rather than a linear biography, the story is structured as an interconnected series of short narratives, each told from the perspective of someone in Ryan’s orbit—from his first love to his ruthless coach. This fragmented approach pieces together a complex portrait of a charming but tormented young man driven by immense ambition and damaged by the abusive dynamics of elite sports.
The novel immerses readers in the high-pressure world of competitive table tennis, with Zhao's writing capturing the kinetic energy of the sport and the nuanced emotional landscape of its players. While the narrative can feel slow at times due to the multiple perspectives, it ultimately rewards patience with a thought-provoking exploration of trauma, grief, and the toll of relentless perfectionism. Underspin is a compelling and intelligent debut, perfect for those who enjoy literary puzzles and complex character studies.
The novel immerses readers in the high-pressure world of competitive table tennis, with Zhao's writing capturing the kinetic energy of the sport and the nuanced emotional landscape of its players. While the narrative can feel slow at times due to the multiple perspectives, it ultimately rewards patience with a thought-provoking exploration of trauma, grief, and the toll of relentless perfectionism. Underspin is a compelling and intelligent debut, perfect for those who enjoy literary puzzles and complex character studies.
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