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Moxie
Jax, a magazine model, has had half her face destroyed in a bomb blast. Drowning in whiskey and self-loathing, she must rebuild her life now that her beauty is gone. Part love letter to New York, part social justice commentary, Moxie is a timely and raw portrayal of the sometimes self-destructive search for identity and redemption.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2019
3 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Alex Poppe
5 books36 followersLiving in that liminal space between theoretical and actual equality, Alex observes how violence reverberates across a life, fascinated by the human capacity for joy, wonder, and resilience, all of it shaping how people become who they are.
Alex Poppe is the author of four works of literary fiction: Duende by Regal House Publishing (2022), Jinwar and Other Stories by Cune Press (2022), Moxie by Tortoise Books (2019), and Girl, World by Laughing Fire Press (2017). Duende won the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards in the novella category, the 2023 International Book Awards in the novella category, and was a 2023 Spring Readers’ Choice Book Awards finalist. Jinwar and Other Stories won the 2023 Spring Readers’ Choice Book Award in the adult book category and was a 2022 International Book Awards finalist. In 2018, Girl, World was named a 35 Over 35 Debut Book Award winner, First Horizon Award finalist, Montaigne Medal finalist, Eric Hoffer Grand Prize finalist, and was awarded an Honorable Mention in General Fiction from the Eric Hoffer Awards. Her short fiction and nonfiction have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and commended for the Baker Prize among others. In 2021, Alex was an artist-in-residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, where Breakfast Wine began.
Alex Poppe is the author of four works of literary fiction: Duende by Regal House Publishing (2022), Jinwar and Other Stories by Cune Press (2022), Moxie by Tortoise Books (2019), and Girl, World by Laughing Fire Press (2017). Duende won the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards in the novella category, the 2023 International Book Awards in the novella category, and was a 2023 Spring Readers’ Choice Book Awards finalist. Jinwar and Other Stories won the 2023 Spring Readers’ Choice Book Award in the adult book category and was a 2022 International Book Awards finalist. In 2018, Girl, World was named a 35 Over 35 Debut Book Award winner, First Horizon Award finalist, Montaigne Medal finalist, Eric Hoffer Grand Prize finalist, and was awarded an Honorable Mention in General Fiction from the Eric Hoffer Awards. Her short fiction and nonfiction have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and commended for the Baker Prize among others. In 2021, Alex was an artist-in-residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, where Breakfast Wine began.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 1, 2019
Jax has only ever known a life of modelling after she left school early to pursue her dream career, but the course of her life changed perpetually when she found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Caught in a blast whilst working abroad, Jax’s once ‘picture perfect’ looks have been left permanently disfigured. Finding herself adrift in an unfamiliar sea, she is no longer able to use her beauty as currency and is left questioning who she really is.
We join Jax’s story as she adopts rescue dog Moxie to be her new companion, however less than 24hrs later Moxie decides to run away whilst on a walk. Distraught Jax embarks on a journey to find her dog, along the way meeting a whole host of New York’s colourful characters. As the story progresses the emphasis becomes less about finding Moxie and more about Jax’s road of self-discovery as she spirals into an alcohol fuelled pit of self-loathing.
The trauma Jax has endured throughout her life is starkly played out amongst this book’s pages and her often short-term relationships with those she meets, all have their own unique effect on her emotional state. Her often sexually driven encounters are soulless and lacking emotion, only leaving her feeling lower than before and left trying to make sense of the life she now has to live.
Moxie is a heartbreakingly honest and raw story that is written in a unique, slightly chaotic narrative that perfect reflects Jax’s state of mind. The narrative is wonderfully descriptive throughout giving the story a fabulous colour and substance which allows the characters and New York backdrop make the easy leap from the page into reality. As someone who has always dreamt of visiting NY I absolutely adored the descriptions of the ‘real’ city written through the eyes of one of its residents.
Author Alex Poppe has done an amazing job of tackling some emotionally hard-hitting issues and combining them to make a great page-turning story. Her characters are all flawed which is what makes them so real and relatable as not one of us can honestly say we are perfect. I can’t think of another book I’ve read like Moxie; Alex’s written voice is so completely unique it would be futile of me to try and drawn comparisons with any other story. I thoroughly enjoyed Moxie and I am already contemplating rereading it thanks to the thought-provoking impact it’s had on me.
**TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE, DEPRESSION, ALCOHOLISM
We join Jax’s story as she adopts rescue dog Moxie to be her new companion, however less than 24hrs later Moxie decides to run away whilst on a walk. Distraught Jax embarks on a journey to find her dog, along the way meeting a whole host of New York’s colourful characters. As the story progresses the emphasis becomes less about finding Moxie and more about Jax’s road of self-discovery as she spirals into an alcohol fuelled pit of self-loathing.
The trauma Jax has endured throughout her life is starkly played out amongst this book’s pages and her often short-term relationships with those she meets, all have their own unique effect on her emotional state. Her often sexually driven encounters are soulless and lacking emotion, only leaving her feeling lower than before and left trying to make sense of the life she now has to live.
Moxie is a heartbreakingly honest and raw story that is written in a unique, slightly chaotic narrative that perfect reflects Jax’s state of mind. The narrative is wonderfully descriptive throughout giving the story a fabulous colour and substance which allows the characters and New York backdrop make the easy leap from the page into reality. As someone who has always dreamt of visiting NY I absolutely adored the descriptions of the ‘real’ city written through the eyes of one of its residents.
Author Alex Poppe has done an amazing job of tackling some emotionally hard-hitting issues and combining them to make a great page-turning story. Her characters are all flawed which is what makes them so real and relatable as not one of us can honestly say we are perfect. I can’t think of another book I’ve read like Moxie; Alex’s written voice is so completely unique it would be futile of me to try and drawn comparisons with any other story. I thoroughly enjoyed Moxie and I am already contemplating rereading it thanks to the thought-provoking impact it’s had on me.
**TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE, DEPRESSION, ALCOHOLISM
May 2, 2019
This book was really not what I expected and I am a bit skeptical about reading a book that I haven't heard of, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm going to tell you why.
Once I had started this book, I was taken away from my world and finished it in one sitting!
The story follows a woman named Jax, who has been involved in a nasty accident in which she lost half of her face. Before the accident, Jax had a successful modeling career. After the accident, she lost a lot more than just her face, she lost her confidence and her career. She is haunted by her own mind and struggles to face her own demons. She knows that she needs help but refuses to seek or accept anyone who offer's her any.
She struggles to let other people in and tend to push away the wrong people mainly her best friend Frieda.
Jax's character is relatable in the sense of how she thinks and the author does a great job of making sure we read how Jax's mind works. The story is written very raw and unfiltered and it was a bit of a shock at first but I realized how much I enjoyed the way it was written.
I felt sorry for Frieda because she does care for Jax but she knows that Jax needs to learn to fend for herself. I think Jax struggled with a lot of negative and unwanted feelings she had for herself, if she viewed herself that way then other's would too. She finds herself on a self-destructive path which she doesn't know how to get off.
I found myself wanting to laugh a lot during this book, it's humorous, relatable and occasionally quite sad. Although I felt sorry for Jax, I felt pulled into his novel by her honesty, I wanted to know more about her and see how she dealt with her problems.
I do have a lot of questions about what happens after the book, and I wonder whether Jax ever found peace with herself, etc. But I trust that she could clean her act up and get her life back on track and not feel like she needs someone else to help her.
After reading this book, I felt really empowered, like if Jax can get by and face her demons then so can I, I really liked that I finished this book feeling optimistic and empowered by Jax's strength and I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read that leaves you with a sense of empowerment and optimism for fighting your own battles.
Favourite Quote:
"I don't know what now is supposed to be." Jax in Moxie
www.whatsinmywonderland.com
Once I had started this book, I was taken away from my world and finished it in one sitting!
The story follows a woman named Jax, who has been involved in a nasty accident in which she lost half of her face. Before the accident, Jax had a successful modeling career. After the accident, she lost a lot more than just her face, she lost her confidence and her career. She is haunted by her own mind and struggles to face her own demons. She knows that she needs help but refuses to seek or accept anyone who offer's her any.
She struggles to let other people in and tend to push away the wrong people mainly her best friend Frieda.
Jax's character is relatable in the sense of how she thinks and the author does a great job of making sure we read how Jax's mind works. The story is written very raw and unfiltered and it was a bit of a shock at first but I realized how much I enjoyed the way it was written.
I felt sorry for Frieda because she does care for Jax but she knows that Jax needs to learn to fend for herself. I think Jax struggled with a lot of negative and unwanted feelings she had for herself, if she viewed herself that way then other's would too. She finds herself on a self-destructive path which she doesn't know how to get off.
I found myself wanting to laugh a lot during this book, it's humorous, relatable and occasionally quite sad. Although I felt sorry for Jax, I felt pulled into his novel by her honesty, I wanted to know more about her and see how she dealt with her problems.
I do have a lot of questions about what happens after the book, and I wonder whether Jax ever found peace with herself, etc. But I trust that she could clean her act up and get her life back on track and not feel like she needs someone else to help her.
After reading this book, I felt really empowered, like if Jax can get by and face her demons then so can I, I really liked that I finished this book feeling optimistic and empowered by Jax's strength and I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read that leaves you with a sense of empowerment and optimism for fighting your own battles.
Favourite Quote:
"I don't know what now is supposed to be." Jax in Moxie
www.whatsinmywonderland.com
July 30, 2019
Oh the pain and the glamour! Moxie is the title character and the star of this fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable read by Alex Poppe, but it's Jax that immediately brings us into her world, the hipster Bohemia of NYC's fashion industry, with her sharp, humorous, and all-too-real observations. As these observations increasingly reveal who she is and how she is facing the consequences of her once free spirit, we are drawn into her deep truths. This journey for readers forces on us the kind of self-reflexing that teaches us empathy as we face our own hypocrisies.
While this novel is clearly fun for the beach or a perfect way to spend the train commute home, the style and craft indicates a work of high fiction. Poppe's voice has Mary Gaitskill's cool frankness on modern urban life and sexuality and Jennifer Egan's willingness to dive into the recesses of her character's psychic pain. And she sure knows how to turn her plot development into hyperdrive roller coaster ride that makes it impossible to put the novel away. I wanted to savor it but couldn't the first time. So I will read it again now!
While this novel is clearly fun for the beach or a perfect way to spend the train commute home, the style and craft indicates a work of high fiction. Poppe's voice has Mary Gaitskill's cool frankness on modern urban life and sexuality and Jennifer Egan's willingness to dive into the recesses of her character's psychic pain. And she sure knows how to turn her plot development into hyperdrive roller coaster ride that makes it impossible to put the novel away. I wanted to savor it but couldn't the first time. So I will read it again now!
May 9, 2019
When an abled writer puts a disabled character at the center of a story, as is the case in Alex Poppe’s debut novel Moxie, the text must walk a fine line: avoid the inspiration porn trap - and Poppe does so with humor and style. Moxie opens with former supermodel Jax in a state of mourning for her career. It’s only been a few months since a bombing in Marrakesh tore away half her face, and that mourning makes it difficult to determine, at least at first, whether Jax has a bad attitude or is self-pitying, self-pity serving as the other major trait of disabled character by abled authors. What seems like pity, however, quickly reveals itself to be integral to the humor and tension of Moxie.
Part of what makes Moxie so compelling is Poppe's use of language, which is coarse in all the right ways, filled with shattered and jagged sentences that resemble the shrapnel that tore apart Jax's face. But what's more, this jagged syntax reveals a shattered world - Jax is hardly the only one suffering - and in a world of suffering people, she doesn't want to be pitied. Jax wants to be chosen. Whether by a pet dog or a boyfriend, as a celebrity or a subject, if Jax can act like she matters, she can learn to live into her new life. And, as it turns out, that life is as broken - and as whole - as anyone else's.
Part of what makes Moxie so compelling is Poppe's use of language, which is coarse in all the right ways, filled with shattered and jagged sentences that resemble the shrapnel that tore apart Jax's face. But what's more, this jagged syntax reveals a shattered world - Jax is hardly the only one suffering - and in a world of suffering people, she doesn't want to be pitied. Jax wants to be chosen. Whether by a pet dog or a boyfriend, as a celebrity or a subject, if Jax can act like she matters, she can learn to live into her new life. And, as it turns out, that life is as broken - and as whole - as anyone else's.
May 2, 2019
Alex Poppe has created a stark, gritty portrait of human emotion. Jax was a model, beauty was her life and career, which is destroyed after her face was badly burned and scarred….full of despair and not a little self-pity, she starts drinking and doesn’t stop….but along the fraught journey, full of emotion.
Jax’s voice is strident yet poetic at times…..will the marvellous characters she meets help her find her real self?
A brilliantly engaging, eyebrow raising read…..a must read.
Thank you to Melanie at Frasers Fun House for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.
Jax’s voice is strident yet poetic at times…..will the marvellous characters she meets help her find her real self?
A brilliantly engaging, eyebrow raising read…..a must read.
Thank you to Melanie at Frasers Fun House for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the ebook. This is my honest, unbiased review.
May 3, 2019
This is one of the few page turning, heart-wrenching books I could find myself re-reading again and again just to experience such an emotionally and mentally challenging adventure. I believe my readers/viewers would instantly get stuck into this story and love it! I would never recommend any book I didn't like to anyone and so you can be rest assured that my thoughts and opinions on any book I share is a 100% honest (that especially goes for this one!) and wouldn't do so if I didn't truly believe that people reading this wouldn't love this book too, even if this isn't the typical book you usually read!
May 5, 2019
Wow. What a read! It's blunt and it's hard-hitting yet still so poetically beautiful. Alex Poppe has a real way with words and I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. Jax, the main character, seems self-absorbed and sometimes downright bizarre at first, but as we are allowed to explore her mind we realise just how complex and full of depth she really is. This is a real tale of redemption and I will be looking out for more of Poppe's writing!
You can read my full review here:
https://pagesplacesandplates.wordpres...
You can read my full review here:
https://pagesplacesandplates.wordpres...
March 29, 2020
honestly, everything that i want to say about this book has been written about either on the book itself or in other reviews. it’s an amazing novel that was surprisingly filled with beautiful prose and a truly cathartic story of self-fulfillment.
when tyler joseph talked about creating his fourth album, he said that he wanted the album to take you to a place and drop you off, leaving you to do what you want to do. this book does the same, dropping you at the precipice of greatness, and leaving you to fill in the rest, hopefully with your own life.
when tyler joseph talked about creating his fourth album, he said that he wanted the album to take you to a place and drop you off, leaving you to do what you want to do. this book does the same, dropping you at the precipice of greatness, and leaving you to fill in the rest, hopefully with your own life.
May 1, 2019
This one is great! I love the narration. Tho there are some parts that I wished it had more proper solution to the problems. The open ending is okay but there's definitely more story that Jax can tell. Rating: 3.5 🌟
January 2, 2019
I could not put Moxie down! Moxie is a fighter who never gives up. She inspires hope in her readers.
August 31, 2021
Such a great read with fascinating characters and a story that offers a real glimpse into the many faces of NYC. From heartache to humour, Jax's story takes you on an emotional rollercoaster and Poppe's writing ensures the reader is constantly filled with hope and admiration for an inspiring group of people brought together by emotional and tragic circumstances.
October 18, 2022
Super snarky and fun to read! The protagonist was absolutely outrageous from start to finish.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews