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The Knockout Queen
Bunny Lampert is the princess of the North Shore &; beautiful, tall, blond, with a rich real-estate developer father and a swimming pool in her backyard. Michael &; with a ponytail down his back and a septum piercing &; lives with his aunt in the cramped stucco cottage next door. When Bunny catches Michael smoking in her yard, he discovers her life isn&;t as perfect as it seems. At six foot three, Bunny towers over their classmates. Even as she dreams of standing out and competing in the Olympics, she is desperate to fit in, to seem normal, and to get a boyfriend, all while hiding her father&;s escalating alcoholism.
416 pages, Library Binding
First published April 28, 2020
612 people are currently reading
28565 people want to read
About the author
Rufi Thorpe
5 books2,016 followersRufi Thorpe received her MFA from the University of Virginia in 2009. She is the author of four novels, The Girls from Corona Del Mar, Dear Fang, With Love, and The Knockout Queen, which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner award. Her newest book, Margo's Got Money Troubles, will be out 6/11/24 and is currently being adapted for television by A24 and AppleTV. She lives in California with her husband and two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,190 reviews
March 7, 2021
4.5 stars
“I felt then that no one would ever know who I was. No one, I thought, was even capable of seeing another person clearly, let alone loving them.”
I’m going to be honest and say that I was not at all expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Why on earth would I want to revisit high school years and spend time inside the heads of these teenagers? It was painful enough back then; why repeat the experience?! Well, all my doubts were laid to rest. If you place yourself in the care of a highly capable author, then the subject matter doesn’t make much difference at all really. Rufi Thorpe is one of those authors. Her writing is smart, the dialogue realistic, and she’s remarkably perceptive about people.
“I knew that sometimes people found themselves in a moment. They found themselves pressed up against themselves inside of a claustrophobic moment. And you couldn’t see how it really was from the outside.”
Very generally, this is a story about friendship. It’s told through the voice of Michael looking back after a period of years. It’s Bunny Lampert’s story he tells, but in the end we learn so much about him that I became truly fond of Michael himself. On the surface, Bunny seems to have it all – money, popularity, athletic prowess. Naturally, that’s not really the case, and he soon learns that there is an overwhelming loneliness in Bunny’s life. Michael hides from all the fact that he is gay, including his aunt whom he’s been living with since his mother’s incarceration. He doesn’t really have any friends to speak of, and he has furtive hook ups with often much older men whom he has met through Craigslist. Only with Bunny does Michael feel the security and trust to share his true self.
“Bunny’s very unfamiliarity with guile, her inability to dissemble to even the slightest degree, somehow gave me permission to be my unadorned self as well.”
I’m not going to share any more of the meat of this story, because you really have to read it yourself. I can say that it deals with multiple subjects with skill, compassion and humor. This could have been a dark, heavy story, because many of the topics are tough. Alcoholism, bullying, violence, and risky behaviors are not taken lightly, yet they don’t plunge the reader into despair either. There is a pivotal point in the story that for me was a huge surprise and I would not have set this down for a second if I didn’t absolutely have to. Thorpe’s writing is refreshing and wholly unexpected. I read this with my friend Anne and we were both pleased that our own ‘risk-taking’ by reading outside our go-to genres rewarded us quite generously.
I highly recommend this intelligent, coming-of-age story that for me was completely different from any I have read before. For any readers that wonder if this is a young adult novel – no! It is an adult novel that is written by someone with keen insight into the lives and emotions of young adults. I have Thorpe’s Dear Fang, With Love sitting in my stack and it surely won’t get lost in the shuffle.
“Who were we? I wondered. Who was anyone?”
“I felt then that no one would ever know who I was. No one, I thought, was even capable of seeing another person clearly, let alone loving them.”
I’m going to be honest and say that I was not at all expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. Why on earth would I want to revisit high school years and spend time inside the heads of these teenagers? It was painful enough back then; why repeat the experience?! Well, all my doubts were laid to rest. If you place yourself in the care of a highly capable author, then the subject matter doesn’t make much difference at all really. Rufi Thorpe is one of those authors. Her writing is smart, the dialogue realistic, and she’s remarkably perceptive about people.
“I knew that sometimes people found themselves in a moment. They found themselves pressed up against themselves inside of a claustrophobic moment. And you couldn’t see how it really was from the outside.”
Very generally, this is a story about friendship. It’s told through the voice of Michael looking back after a period of years. It’s Bunny Lampert’s story he tells, but in the end we learn so much about him that I became truly fond of Michael himself. On the surface, Bunny seems to have it all – money, popularity, athletic prowess. Naturally, that’s not really the case, and he soon learns that there is an overwhelming loneliness in Bunny’s life. Michael hides from all the fact that he is gay, including his aunt whom he’s been living with since his mother’s incarceration. He doesn’t really have any friends to speak of, and he has furtive hook ups with often much older men whom he has met through Craigslist. Only with Bunny does Michael feel the security and trust to share his true self.
“Bunny’s very unfamiliarity with guile, her inability to dissemble to even the slightest degree, somehow gave me permission to be my unadorned self as well.”
I’m not going to share any more of the meat of this story, because you really have to read it yourself. I can say that it deals with multiple subjects with skill, compassion and humor. This could have been a dark, heavy story, because many of the topics are tough. Alcoholism, bullying, violence, and risky behaviors are not taken lightly, yet they don’t plunge the reader into despair either. There is a pivotal point in the story that for me was a huge surprise and I would not have set this down for a second if I didn’t absolutely have to. Thorpe’s writing is refreshing and wholly unexpected. I read this with my friend Anne and we were both pleased that our own ‘risk-taking’ by reading outside our go-to genres rewarded us quite generously.
I highly recommend this intelligent, coming-of-age story that for me was completely different from any I have read before. For any readers that wonder if this is a young adult novel – no! It is an adult novel that is written by someone with keen insight into the lives and emotions of young adults. I have Thorpe’s Dear Fang, With Love sitting in my stack and it surely won’t get lost in the shuffle.
“Who were we? I wondered. Who was anyone?”
June 6, 2020
No spoilers...
FEARLESS!!!!
Don’t shock easy?
Thought you’ve read everything about identity, friendships, sex, lust, love, family, even murder?
....Thought you’ve read about every type of coming-of-age teenage story made for man or woman?
Maybe not!!!!
Meet some of the most interesting characters you may meet all year:
***I KID YOU NOT***
This book is not for people who are too judgmental; are uncomfortable with full expression- or straight talk.
You know that little voice in your head that chatters to you? .... that thinks things you never say in public?
Those things ‘are’ said out loud in this novel ...
....it’s down right refreshing!!!
Raunchy, funny, quirky, vulnerable, heartfelt, heartbreaking, unique as hell....
Perhaps a little uncomfortable/ embarrassing...( but readers can handle it)....
This book tests our egos, righteousness, our judgements.
Themes include and do not exclude graphic details on sexuality, identity, friendship, lust, love, violence, abuse, choices, and change.
.......constantly moving in unpredictable directions!!
FASCINATING CHARACTERS..
FASCINATING
STORY
I CAN’T SCREAM THIS LOUD ENOUGH!!!!
FEARLESS!!!!
Don’t shock easy?
Thought you’ve read everything about identity, friendships, sex, lust, love, family, even murder?
....Thought you’ve read about every type of coming-of-age teenage story made for man or woman?
Maybe not!!!!
Meet some of the most interesting characters you may meet all year:
***I KID YOU NOT***
This book is not for people who are too judgmental; are uncomfortable with full expression- or straight talk.
You know that little voice in your head that chatters to you? .... that thinks things you never say in public?
Those things ‘are’ said out loud in this novel ...
....it’s down right refreshing!!!
Raunchy, funny, quirky, vulnerable, heartfelt, heartbreaking, unique as hell....
Perhaps a little uncomfortable/ embarrassing...( but readers can handle it)....
This book tests our egos, righteousness, our judgements.
Themes include and do not exclude graphic details on sexuality, identity, friendship, lust, love, violence, abuse, choices, and change.
.......constantly moving in unpredictable directions!!
FASCINATING CHARACTERS..
FASCINATING
STORY
I CAN’T SCREAM THIS LOUD ENOUGH!!!!
Read
May 17, 2020I really hate to do this but this is going to have to be a DNF for me. I rarely do this but I just can't get into this book. After 4 days I am barely half way done. I can't connect to a single character. Life is too short and there are just too many good ones out there. My first DNF from BOTM.
Read
May 1, 2020Why I love it
by Siobhan Jones
This is my favorite book of the year so far. One of the dangers of reading so many new books each month is that I overuse these words a lot. But I can’t help it. In January I was telling everyone about The Sun Down Motel. Then April came along and I couldn’t stop talking about Valentine. So consider this my endorsement, with an asterisk: The Knockout Queen is my favorite book of 2020 (so far!).
Bunny Lampert is tall, blonde, and has a heart of gold. She’s a talented volleyball player and her father is rich. All this should add up to popularity, right? Wrong. For some reason, she and her best friend Michael—the boy next door who narrates the story—exist on the fringes of high school society. But no matter. As Bunny grapples with her father’s worsening (and occasionally terrifying) alcoholism and Michael begins dating older men he meets online, they take solace in each other. That is, until a sudden act of violence rips their lives, and their friendship, apart.
This is one of those books that kind of defies explanation, which is why I want to take a stab at describing what it is not. It is not a “light” read. It will not make you pine for your teenage years. The world that Bunny and Michael live in is not a particularly fair or beautiful one. What The Knockout Queen is: a moving story about two remarkably resilient humans, from a writer at the height of her powers. I hope you love it too.
Read more at: https://bookofthemonth.com/the-knocko...
by Siobhan Jones
This is my favorite book of the year so far. One of the dangers of reading so many new books each month is that I overuse these words a lot. But I can’t help it. In January I was telling everyone about The Sun Down Motel. Then April came along and I couldn’t stop talking about Valentine. So consider this my endorsement, with an asterisk: The Knockout Queen is my favorite book of 2020 (so far!).
Bunny Lampert is tall, blonde, and has a heart of gold. She’s a talented volleyball player and her father is rich. All this should add up to popularity, right? Wrong. For some reason, she and her best friend Michael—the boy next door who narrates the story—exist on the fringes of high school society. But no matter. As Bunny grapples with her father’s worsening (and occasionally terrifying) alcoholism and Michael begins dating older men he meets online, they take solace in each other. That is, until a sudden act of violence rips their lives, and their friendship, apart.
This is one of those books that kind of defies explanation, which is why I want to take a stab at describing what it is not. It is not a “light” read. It will not make you pine for your teenage years. The world that Bunny and Michael live in is not a particularly fair or beautiful one. What The Knockout Queen is: a moving story about two remarkably resilient humans, from a writer at the height of her powers. I hope you love it too.
Read more at: https://bookofthemonth.com/the-knocko...
June 21, 2020
5 enthusiastic stars! Grabbed my disinfected pogo stick and took a ride!
Pogo stick time! Don’t worry, I found some coveted Lysol and disinfected it before I went a-hoppin’. No COVID death by pogo stick here!
This book, oh this book! It’s my favorite so far this year! Sometimes a book is just on my wavelength; the sentence structure alone somehow agrees with my head. Then there’s the depth of the characters; psychological insight out the ying yang. The plot is unusual, intense, and dark. And much food for thought.
The subject matter is one that often gets a yawn out of me. My head is saying, Oh, no, not another quirky coming-of-age book! It’s about two teenage misfits, a boy and a girl, who become best friends. Well, damn if I didn’t get pulled in completely. I adored these teens. Meaty prose, meaty personalities, meaty conversations. A gourmet feast.
I’m not going to go into any of the plot, other than to say that one of the teens does something unexpected, something with huge consequences. The event really gets you thinking (about motivation, impulsiveness, anger, guilt, and the complexities of friendship, among other things). It’s the aftermath of the event that is the most complex and powerful, but everything that went on before it still had me glued to the page. I’d love to discuss this one in a book club. It’s a book that I couldn’t wait to pick up, and it’s one that will stick with me a long time.
Thorpe’s book came out right when COVID did, so she was quarantined for her book tour. That’s just way bad luck. But on the upside, she did a clever, entertaining self-interview on Utube. Makes me love her even more.
Check out the clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps7IH...
And here’s a short clip by a reviewer fan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXreN...
I have to read Thorpe’s earlier work, I just have to. She’s a master storyteller who should have a way larger audience. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the advance copy.
Pogo stick time! Don’t worry, I found some coveted Lysol and disinfected it before I went a-hoppin’. No COVID death by pogo stick here!
This book, oh this book! It’s my favorite so far this year! Sometimes a book is just on my wavelength; the sentence structure alone somehow agrees with my head. Then there’s the depth of the characters; psychological insight out the ying yang. The plot is unusual, intense, and dark. And much food for thought.
The subject matter is one that often gets a yawn out of me. My head is saying, Oh, no, not another quirky coming-of-age book! It’s about two teenage misfits, a boy and a girl, who become best friends. Well, damn if I didn’t get pulled in completely. I adored these teens. Meaty prose, meaty personalities, meaty conversations. A gourmet feast.
I’m not going to go into any of the plot, other than to say that one of the teens does something unexpected, something with huge consequences. The event really gets you thinking (about motivation, impulsiveness, anger, guilt, and the complexities of friendship, among other things). It’s the aftermath of the event that is the most complex and powerful, but everything that went on before it still had me glued to the page. I’d love to discuss this one in a book club. It’s a book that I couldn’t wait to pick up, and it’s one that will stick with me a long time.
Thorpe’s book came out right when COVID did, so she was quarantined for her book tour. That’s just way bad luck. But on the upside, she did a clever, entertaining self-interview on Utube. Makes me love her even more.
Check out the clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps7IH...
And here’s a short clip by a reviewer fan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXreN...
I have to read Thorpe’s earlier work, I just have to. She’s a master storyteller who should have a way larger audience. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Edelweiss for the advance copy.
August 19, 2020
Damn! This was so incredibly good, I'm gobsmacked. I read it in less than a day, I couldn't stop myself. I can't remember the last time I did that.
Amazing characters and characterisations, the voice, the plot - everything was extraordinary but in an ordinary, non-showy kind of way. I just don't have the words to express myself (not having slept much doesn't help either).
Despite being an easy read, this was intelligent, every phrase was perfection. Whoever edited this did an amazing job.
I'll probably come back and add more thoughts, but, damn, this book ...
Where has Rufi Thorpe been? Now I'll have to track down her other books.
Fifty titles read so far and I've finally found my favourite book of the year.
To paraphrase a line in this novel - reader, I feel giddy! 😊
Amazing characters and characterisations, the voice, the plot - everything was extraordinary but in an ordinary, non-showy kind of way. I just don't have the words to express myself (not having slept much doesn't help either).
Despite being an easy read, this was intelligent, every phrase was perfection. Whoever edited this did an amazing job.
I'll probably come back and add more thoughts, but, damn, this book ...
Where has Rufi Thorpe been? Now I'll have to track down her other books.
Fifty titles read so far and I've finally found my favourite book of the year.
To paraphrase a line in this novel - reader, I feel giddy! 😊
January 3, 2021
Everyone and everything in this book was so unlikeable. I feel like this was a really strange mix up of a coming of age novel about toxic friendships, guilt, and trauma. It sounds really good though. I thought so too. More underwhelmed than anything.
2 STARS
Twitter | Bookstagram | Youtube |
2 STARS
Twitter | Bookstagram | Youtube |
May 17, 2025
***SPOILERS HIDDEN***
Bunny Lampert and her next-door neighbor, Michael, are unlikely to be friends. She’s a star volleyball player at their high school—pretty, wealthy, and admired. He’s gay, ordinary, friendless, and not well-off. Nevertheless, shortly after meeting, Bunny and Michael develop a soul-bond, striking up the kind of friendship many can only dream of.
These two live different lives yet suffer equal pain; however, Bunny is “The Knockout Queen” of the title and the star of the story. Her ostentatious house isn’t so impressive on the inside. Her popular, successful real-estate father is unethical, often drunk, and more a friend to Bunny than a parent. But beyond this, Bunny wrestles with some serious demons. Author Rufi Thorpe wrote an ironic story: The girl who appears enviable has little to truly envy, and the boy who should be broken isn’t that broken after all.
The Knockout Queen is narrated from Michael’s point-of-view. Many stories would be just as successful told from a different point-of-view; the author could flip a coin and begin. Here, point-of-view matters tremendously. There’s a jarring mismatch going on: A first-person point-of-view normally indicates the story primarily, or at the very least equally, affects the character narrating, but the opposite is true here. The incidents that most define The Knockout Queen don’t happen to narrator Michael; they happen to Bunny—and all happen off the page and summarized later because Michael is never part of them. Such limp storytelling robbed these crucial moments of their power, leaving me feeling curiously indifferent during tragic and disturbing parts. Meanwhile, Michael’s redemptive story line, important in its own right, ends up getting short shrift.
Michael has real hardships that could have added dimension to The Knockout Queen, but Thorpe underdeveloped some; glossed over others; and, inexcusably, failed to cast pedophilia as abhorrent, much less an actual crime. Despite all the difficulties in his life, Michael never experiences any as acutely as he should. For this boy, substance abuse, risk-taking, self-harm—all manner of dysfunctional coping responses would be understandable,
The Knockout Queen is an ambitious story. In less than 300 pages, Thorpe wrote about queer identity; violence; bullying; family dysfunction; wealth and class difference; dishonesty and unethical behavior; and, most of all, how changed circumstances alter relationships. To all these she gave more or less cursory attention when they merit either a huge page-count or their own books.
She was most successful in her characterization and insight. Her trio of main characters—Bunny, Michael, and Bunny’s dad—come alive, and even though Bunny and Michael seem like they’d never be friends, Thorpe made it believable that they not only are but that they love each other intensely. The Knockout Queen is eloquent in parts, with Michael’s thoughts revealing a wisdom beyond his years.
Despite finding the story pretty empty, I enjoyed Thorpe’s writing and main characters. Her style appealed to me as she evoked Janet Fitch’s style a little. The candor and intelligence is there. The emotional intention is there. The unique story idea is there. What’s missing is an instinct for the most effective storytelling approach and heartrending feeling. The Knockout Queen shines brightest as a portrait of platonic love. Thorpe knows how to write a friendship that’s one of the most well-crafted I’ve ever read. She kept that sacred, and although her story goes to some unexpected, weird places, the touching bond between Bunny and Michael anchors it. It’s the whole reason to read the book.
Bunny Lampert and her next-door neighbor, Michael, are unlikely to be friends. She’s a star volleyball player at their high school—pretty, wealthy, and admired. He’s gay, ordinary, friendless, and not well-off. Nevertheless, shortly after meeting, Bunny and Michael develop a soul-bond, striking up the kind of friendship many can only dream of.
These two live different lives yet suffer equal pain; however, Bunny is “The Knockout Queen” of the title and the star of the story. Her ostentatious house isn’t so impressive on the inside. Her popular, successful real-estate father is unethical, often drunk, and more a friend to Bunny than a parent. But beyond this, Bunny wrestles with some serious demons. Author Rufi Thorpe wrote an ironic story: The girl who appears enviable has little to truly envy, and the boy who should be broken isn’t that broken after all.
The Knockout Queen is narrated from Michael’s point-of-view. Many stories would be just as successful told from a different point-of-view; the author could flip a coin and begin. Here, point-of-view matters tremendously. There’s a jarring mismatch going on: A first-person point-of-view normally indicates the story primarily, or at the very least equally, affects the character narrating, but the opposite is true here. The incidents that most define The Knockout Queen don’t happen to narrator Michael; they happen to Bunny—and all happen off the page and summarized later because Michael is never part of them. Such limp storytelling robbed these crucial moments of their power, leaving me feeling curiously indifferent during tragic and disturbing parts. Meanwhile, Michael’s redemptive story line, important in its own right, ends up getting short shrift.
Michael has real hardships that could have added dimension to The Knockout Queen, but Thorpe underdeveloped some; glossed over others; and, inexcusably, failed to cast pedophilia as abhorrent, much less an actual crime. Despite all the difficulties in his life, Michael never experiences any as acutely as he should. For this boy, substance abuse, risk-taking, self-harm—all manner of dysfunctional coping responses would be understandable,
The Knockout Queen is an ambitious story. In less than 300 pages, Thorpe wrote about queer identity; violence; bullying; family dysfunction; wealth and class difference; dishonesty and unethical behavior; and, most of all, how changed circumstances alter relationships. To all these she gave more or less cursory attention when they merit either a huge page-count or their own books.
She was most successful in her characterization and insight. Her trio of main characters—Bunny, Michael, and Bunny’s dad—come alive, and even though Bunny and Michael seem like they’d never be friends, Thorpe made it believable that they not only are but that they love each other intensely. The Knockout Queen is eloquent in parts, with Michael’s thoughts revealing a wisdom beyond his years.
Despite finding the story pretty empty, I enjoyed Thorpe’s writing and main characters. Her style appealed to me as she evoked Janet Fitch’s style a little. The candor and intelligence is there. The emotional intention is there. The unique story idea is there. What’s missing is an instinct for the most effective storytelling approach and heartrending feeling. The Knockout Queen shines brightest as a portrait of platonic love. Thorpe knows how to write a friendship that’s one of the most well-crafted I’ve ever read. She kept that sacred, and although her story goes to some unexpected, weird places, the touching bond between Bunny and Michael anchors it. It’s the whole reason to read the book.
November 10, 2019
Fantastic -- deeply moving, astute, and often funny as hell. Rufi Thorpe writes about friendship with grace and insight, and the emotional mechanics (and emotional landmines) of growing up with a wisdom that floors me.
March 1, 2021
The Knockout Queen is a novel that I don’t want to review because I don't want to give away any part of the story. I will say that it’s a “coming of age” story unlike any you have ever read. It deals with a lot of “issues” with intelligence but a light hand. It is very well-written, the characters and the universe they inhabit are exceptionally well-drawn, and the story grabbed my attention from the beginning and didn’t let go until the end. Rupi Thorpe knows people with all their frailties and their strengths. And she writes what she knows with such authenticity and psychological insight you will feel that the characters exist in the real world. Thorpe also keeps the tension up just high enough that you will not want to stop reading, or as in my case, listening. The audio version is exceptional.
This was a buddy read with my good buddy Candi. Thank you for going on this trip with me, Candi.
This was a buddy read with my good buddy Candi. Thank you for going on this trip with me, Candi.
May 10, 2020
[4.5] Finally, a stand-out novel that gripped me and kept me off kilter from beginning to end! The Knockout Queen is a dark and fierce novel about a friendship forged between two lonely teens. I love how real Bunny and Michael are - neither fits in - they are not pasted on "book-quirky" but elusive and unpredictable and changing constantly.
July 7, 2020
The one thing I can say about Rupi Thorpe’s The Knockout Queen is that it made an attempt at saying some things, but I can’t say that attempt was successful. To be completely honest I’m kind of unsure where all the praise for this book is coming from. While it poses interesting questions it never challenges these themes in ways that aren’t superficial. In the end, neither Bunny nor Michael learned anything that prompted them to change as a person. Michael made attempts to tell the reader how the events changed him towards the end but continues to do the exact same things he has been doing the whole time through the end of the book. I have seen a few people shelving this as YA and purely from Michael’s character alone I can tell you this book is NOT YA (this is not quite as embarrassingly laughable as people tagging it as romance). Just because it concerns teenagers doesn’t mean it’s YA.
Every character was written like a juvenile stereotype that I would not have expected from this book’s target audience but I’m not going to tear into every one of them so I’ll just focus on the main two. Bunny didn’t feel like a real person at all. I’m torn because I want to say that this was a conscious choice Thorpe made because Michael has mythologized her so much and the story is from his perspective but I feel like that’s giving it too much credit. Maybe it’s just because I dislike Michael so much that I don’t want to give him any credit. She was mostly in the story as a prop for Michael to learn from and he didn’t actually learn anything other than “wow, it must suck to be Bunny.” One good thing I can say about Bunny that I can't say for Michael is that she did manage to be an effectively tragic character and I did feel bad for her. The story probably would have worked a lot better had it been from her POV. The last thing I'll say about her is that, with her storyline, Thorpe touched, very superficially, on women in the justice system by talking about how it’s kind of unfair that women get in so much trouble for doing the same things men get away with. But again, it was just like “well that sucks now let me proceed to do absolutely nothing with this information.”
Thorpe’s portrayal of Michael and LGBT people made me very uncomfortable and I kept coming back it over and over again and getting just so confused at the fact that this was written by a woman. Not a page went by where Thorpe doesn’t remind the reader how much Michael likes to have SEX with DUDES and the overemphasis on this point made his whole character feel fetishy and gross. Like seriously. He talks about it SO much. I could insert quotes but I won’t because I don’t want you to have to experience it. He has also been hooking up with old men on the internet since he was THIRTEEN and this is never fully condemned by the book even though it is made clear that this is incredibly toxic for Michael. A huge portion of the book is dedicated to him (17) falling in love with a guy called Anthony (56). He stays in contact with Anthony through the end of the book and this is never deemed as bad. On top of all this, he’s a terrible person to Bunny despite the fact that she’s his best friend and he’s weirdly obsessed with her. And again, he never actually grows at all. He vaguely admits to the things he does wrong and the things that are hurting him but does absolutely nothing about them. It would be fine if Thorpe was trying to make a point by having Michael stay the same but it is indicated that this is not the case.
The more I think about this book the angrier I get at it. It had potential and the questions it posed were genuinely interesting, but, in the end, it said almost nothing about them. Everyone is saying the story was “heartbreaking” but really I just found it aggravating. There are definitely parts that made me think or were upsetting but they were overshadowed by the classlessness with which the characters were handled. I guess I can sort of understand why people enjoy this book in a Holden Caulfield kind of way which is why I didn’t think it was utter trash. It has that very “sad boy, life sucks” quality to it, but honestly, I’m past the point in my life where I find it productive or interesting to philosophize about injustice without also talking about ways in which those injustices could be addressed.
Every character was written like a juvenile stereotype that I would not have expected from this book’s target audience but I’m not going to tear into every one of them so I’ll just focus on the main two. Bunny didn’t feel like a real person at all. I’m torn because I want to say that this was a conscious choice Thorpe made because Michael has mythologized her so much and the story is from his perspective but I feel like that’s giving it too much credit. Maybe it’s just because I dislike Michael so much that I don’t want to give him any credit. She was mostly in the story as a prop for Michael to learn from and he didn’t actually learn anything other than “wow, it must suck to be Bunny.” One good thing I can say about Bunny that I can't say for Michael is that she did manage to be an effectively tragic character and I did feel bad for her. The story probably would have worked a lot better had it been from her POV. The last thing I'll say about her is that, with her storyline, Thorpe touched, very superficially, on women in the justice system by talking about how it’s kind of unfair that women get in so much trouble for doing the same things men get away with. But again, it was just like “well that sucks now let me proceed to do absolutely nothing with this information.”
Thorpe’s portrayal of Michael and LGBT people made me very uncomfortable and I kept coming back it over and over again and getting just so confused at the fact that this was written by a woman. Not a page went by where Thorpe doesn’t remind the reader how much Michael likes to have SEX with DUDES and the overemphasis on this point made his whole character feel fetishy and gross. Like seriously. He talks about it SO much. I could insert quotes but I won’t because I don’t want you to have to experience it. He has also been hooking up with old men on the internet since he was THIRTEEN and this is never fully condemned by the book even though it is made clear that this is incredibly toxic for Michael. A huge portion of the book is dedicated to him (17) falling in love with a guy called Anthony (56). He stays in contact with Anthony through the end of the book and this is never deemed as bad. On top of all this, he’s a terrible person to Bunny despite the fact that she’s his best friend and he’s weirdly obsessed with her. And again, he never actually grows at all. He vaguely admits to the things he does wrong and the things that are hurting him but does absolutely nothing about them. It would be fine if Thorpe was trying to make a point by having Michael stay the same but it is indicated that this is not the case.
The more I think about this book the angrier I get at it. It had potential and the questions it posed were genuinely interesting, but, in the end, it said almost nothing about them. Everyone is saying the story was “heartbreaking” but really I just found it aggravating. There are definitely parts that made me think or were upsetting but they were overshadowed by the classlessness with which the characters were handled. I guess I can sort of understand why people enjoy this book in a Holden Caulfield kind of way which is why I didn’t think it was utter trash. It has that very “sad boy, life sucks” quality to it, but honestly, I’m past the point in my life where I find it productive or interesting to philosophize about injustice without also talking about ways in which those injustices could be addressed.
May 14, 2021
5/14/21 Update
This magnificent literary novel was a finalist for the 2021 PEN Faulkner Award. It was a real treat watching Rufi Thorpe read and talk about why this book is important for this time. She appears at minute 24:25 of this award ceremony video (but the whole hour is good). Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuRvh...
9/30/20 review
This book is wonderful. Magnificent. Any superlative adjective you can think of.
It is the story of a friendship between a young gay guy (told from the vantage point of adulthood) with a huge young girl. The writing is fantastic, dialogue that flows like real life; there are layers and complexity and contradictions—just like real life. There is philosophy but it never comes forced.
Simply put, this is everything I look for in a good book. Read it for a great reading experience.
***
Morning After Note
As an editor who has spent too many hours of my life in "cover meetings"--meetings where editorial staff discuss covers (in my case, for the magazine I used to work for)--I cannot quash my impulse to say something about The Knockout Queen's outer wrapping, just in case there is anybody who is turned off by it. The cover represents the book, but it does not give a 3-second glancer (they've actually timed how long browsers look at prospective covers in bookstores) an inkling about the depth and standout writing contained within.
I've been gnashing my teeth about what would accurately represent this book, and I've got zero ideas. This is a stunningly written literary novel about friendship, written with deep understanding of humanity and curiosity about how we came to be this way. Although the characters are young for most of the book, it is certainly not YA fiction or chick lit, which might be a 3-second assumption from this cover.
So ... read this book of you love good writing, if you long for understanding of our human condition, if you revel in honest expression of it.
This magnificent literary novel was a finalist for the 2021 PEN Faulkner Award. It was a real treat watching Rufi Thorpe read and talk about why this book is important for this time. She appears at minute 24:25 of this award ceremony video (but the whole hour is good). Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuRvh...
9/30/20 review
This book is wonderful. Magnificent. Any superlative adjective you can think of.
It is the story of a friendship between a young gay guy (told from the vantage point of adulthood) with a huge young girl. The writing is fantastic, dialogue that flows like real life; there are layers and complexity and contradictions—just like real life. There is philosophy but it never comes forced.
Simply put, this is everything I look for in a good book. Read it for a great reading experience.
***
Morning After Note
As an editor who has spent too many hours of my life in "cover meetings"--meetings where editorial staff discuss covers (in my case, for the magazine I used to work for)--I cannot quash my impulse to say something about The Knockout Queen's outer wrapping, just in case there is anybody who is turned off by it. The cover represents the book, but it does not give a 3-second glancer (they've actually timed how long browsers look at prospective covers in bookstores) an inkling about the depth and standout writing contained within.
I've been gnashing my teeth about what would accurately represent this book, and I've got zero ideas. This is a stunningly written literary novel about friendship, written with deep understanding of humanity and curiosity about how we came to be this way. Although the characters are young for most of the book, it is certainly not YA fiction or chick lit, which might be a 3-second assumption from this cover.
So ... read this book of you love good writing, if you long for understanding of our human condition, if you revel in honest expression of it.
hours-i-will-never-get-back
July 5, 2020I'm having Holden Caulfield flashbacks and since I'm not in high school English anymore, my adult self is letting this one go.
August 24, 2020
I have loved all of Rufi's novels, but I think this is her best so far—her most emotionally accessible, her funniest, her most engrossing. The ending was so upsetting to me that I feel ill thinking about it, but that's only because I cared so much about the characters. Five stars.
July 6, 2020
I don't even know what to say about this one or how I really feel about it, but I do know that I did not want to put it down and I wanted to keep reading about these characters. It was different, kind of weird, and very character driven...and I think I kind of love that. I don't think I will be forgetting Bunny or Michael anytime soon!
April 16, 2020
Thanks to Knopf for an advanced copy of this book.
Finally…my second 5 star book of the year! I loved Thorpe’s last novel (Dear Fang, With Love) and this “dark coming of age story” (per the publisher…and I agree) was even better. It’s a character-driven story (though there is a life-changing incident that drives the plot) of two teenagers who feel like outsiders in their own ways trying to come to terms with who they are amid their own family drama. It’s about young people losing their innocence…both literally and figuratively. It’s full of teenage awkwardness…and reminded me a bit of My Sunshine Away in this respect. Thorpe’s voice and writing are the stars of this show…as are the characters of Bunny and Michael, who are flawed, yet endearing. I think readers will be drawn to them. Plus, Bunny is an elite volleyball player and you know how much I love a female athlete protagonist!
Visit https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com for more reviews.
Finally…my second 5 star book of the year! I loved Thorpe’s last novel (Dear Fang, With Love) and this “dark coming of age story” (per the publisher…and I agree) was even better. It’s a character-driven story (though there is a life-changing incident that drives the plot) of two teenagers who feel like outsiders in their own ways trying to come to terms with who they are amid their own family drama. It’s about young people losing their innocence…both literally and figuratively. It’s full of teenage awkwardness…and reminded me a bit of My Sunshine Away in this respect. Thorpe’s voice and writing are the stars of this show…as are the characters of Bunny and Michael, who are flawed, yet endearing. I think readers will be drawn to them. Plus, Bunny is an elite volleyball player and you know how much I love a female athlete protagonist!
Visit https://www.sarahsbookshelves.com for more reviews.
Want to read
October 30, 2024truly funny books are so special that when i find one i have no choice but to essentially hero worship their author
February 6, 2020
I have a lot of thoughts about this book and yet very little feelings about it.
As far as books go it’s not a bad book. I think it comes down to this not being a book for me. It hit the nail on the head for many things in books that I really don’t like. However, those may be things that other people absolutely love in books.
Since I don’t read very many books like this (the last one that made me feel this way was Catcher in the Rye and I read that waaay back in high school - so like 8 years ago), I’m going to compare it to TV. This book is essentially Shameless narrated by Ian if Ian were a character in a Wes Anderson movie. So if you’re a fan of characters that are selfish and kind of shitty, that varying degrees of shitty things happen to (or a fan of Rushmore) then you’d most likely like this book.
Personally, this book was just meh. It was just something I got through. However, I couldn’t stand Michael. Or maybe it was the type of narrator he was. Either way, it was pretty annoying to read sentences that used SAT words yet were supposed to be in the thoughts of a 16/17 year old. It was weird and unnatural, because teenagers don’t actually use those words outside of their English papers they’re trying to reach the word count on. But the Michael DID use SAT words in his vocabulary, and instead of coming across as intelligent (which I think is what the author wanted), he came across as pretentious.
Towards the end of the middle, while the climax of the story was starting to come down, I was actually more engaged in the plot. But it felt like the sort of engagement that you get when you’re rubbernecking at an accident that happened on the freeway. In fact, the whole story was like that but instead of rubbernecking for a couple seconds you were rubbernecking for an hour.
Moral of the story: this book wasn’t for me. It’s for the type of people who like Catcher in the Rye and Wes Anderson movies. They also might be into Nick Carraway as a narrator. Who are interested in teenagers who think they’re smarter than everyone else and go around and around in their heads about philosophical thoughts that actually mean nothing. But there’s people who are into that, and those are the people who will be attracted to this book and who will enjoy it.
As far as books go it’s not a bad book. I think it comes down to this not being a book for me. It hit the nail on the head for many things in books that I really don’t like. However, those may be things that other people absolutely love in books.
Since I don’t read very many books like this (the last one that made me feel this way was Catcher in the Rye and I read that waaay back in high school - so like 8 years ago), I’m going to compare it to TV. This book is essentially Shameless narrated by Ian if Ian were a character in a Wes Anderson movie. So if you’re a fan of characters that are selfish and kind of shitty, that varying degrees of shitty things happen to (or a fan of Rushmore) then you’d most likely like this book.
Personally, this book was just meh. It was just something I got through. However, I couldn’t stand Michael. Or maybe it was the type of narrator he was. Either way, it was pretty annoying to read sentences that used SAT words yet were supposed to be in the thoughts of a 16/17 year old. It was weird and unnatural, because teenagers don’t actually use those words outside of their English papers they’re trying to reach the word count on. But the Michael DID use SAT words in his vocabulary, and instead of coming across as intelligent (which I think is what the author wanted), he came across as pretentious.
Towards the end of the middle, while the climax of the story was starting to come down, I was actually more engaged in the plot. But it felt like the sort of engagement that you get when you’re rubbernecking at an accident that happened on the freeway. In fact, the whole story was like that but instead of rubbernecking for a couple seconds you were rubbernecking for an hour.
Moral of the story: this book wasn’t for me. It’s for the type of people who like Catcher in the Rye and Wes Anderson movies. They also might be into Nick Carraway as a narrator. Who are interested in teenagers who think they’re smarter than everyone else and go around and around in their heads about philosophical thoughts that actually mean nothing. But there’s people who are into that, and those are the people who will be attracted to this book and who will enjoy it.
September 19, 2020
4.5 Stars
’Her name was Bunny Lampert, and she was the princess of North Shore, and somehow, almost against my will, I became her friend.
I suppose, being next-door neighbors, it was inevitable that Michael and Bunny would eventually meet, although Michael seemed to feel out of place in his aunt’s house where he’d gone to live after his mother went away. A tiny tired old house stuck in between two mansions, in a neighborhood gradually being “upgraded.” Bunny, on the other hand, lived in a mansion. Both were, essentially, motherless, with Michael’s mother in prison and Bunny’s mother’s life lost in a car accident.
In middle school, Bunny was already taller than the tallest boy, a trend which would continue, and they were in the same homeroom in seventh grade, but they finally speak to each other when she finds him in her yard smoking a cigarette until they were in tenth grade. After that their friendship went beyond being just neighbors, especially as the years go by.
’As often as I was failing to pass as a straight boy during those years, Bunny was failing to pass as a girl.’
Bunny’s father invested himself in making money, finding money, spending money, and alcohol, where Michael’s aunt was always working or worn out at the end of her days. She tried to make time for him and was always kind to him, perhaps especially after she began to suspect he might be gay. It was her son that didn’t want him there, especially after Michael confirms he is gay, and they were sharing a bedroom. The friendship between Michael and Bunny is further solidified by their inability to conform to what their classmates considered the “norm,” and when Michael moves into the spare bedroom at Bunny’s house, with her father’s approval, their friendship grows, as does the disdain from others, especially as time goes on.
’Why did we want so desperately to be seen? I saw her. My eyes were full of her. But it wasn’t enough, and I was no longer hurt by it. The way she loved me wasn’t enough for me either. Maybe love would never be enough. Maybe it would never do what we wanted it to do.’
At the heart of this is the questioning of man’s inhumanity to man, from slavery, the Holocaust, genocide, the ’human ability to look at another human being and decide, nope, I think that kind of human is an animal’ and so to impose one’s superiority over another human being – if only in one’s mind. The scars that being the object of that kind of hate, inhumanity can leave on anyone and everyone involved.
And yet, it is a story filled with love.
Many thanks, once again, to the Public Library system, and the many Librarians that manage, organize and keep it running, for the loan of this book!
’Her name was Bunny Lampert, and she was the princess of North Shore, and somehow, almost against my will, I became her friend.
I suppose, being next-door neighbors, it was inevitable that Michael and Bunny would eventually meet, although Michael seemed to feel out of place in his aunt’s house where he’d gone to live after his mother went away. A tiny tired old house stuck in between two mansions, in a neighborhood gradually being “upgraded.” Bunny, on the other hand, lived in a mansion. Both were, essentially, motherless, with Michael’s mother in prison and Bunny’s mother’s life lost in a car accident.
In middle school, Bunny was already taller than the tallest boy, a trend which would continue, and they were in the same homeroom in seventh grade, but they finally speak to each other when she finds him in her yard smoking a cigarette until they were in tenth grade. After that their friendship went beyond being just neighbors, especially as the years go by.
’As often as I was failing to pass as a straight boy during those years, Bunny was failing to pass as a girl.’
Bunny’s father invested himself in making money, finding money, spending money, and alcohol, where Michael’s aunt was always working or worn out at the end of her days. She tried to make time for him and was always kind to him, perhaps especially after she began to suspect he might be gay. It was her son that didn’t want him there, especially after Michael confirms he is gay, and they were sharing a bedroom. The friendship between Michael and Bunny is further solidified by their inability to conform to what their classmates considered the “norm,” and when Michael moves into the spare bedroom at Bunny’s house, with her father’s approval, their friendship grows, as does the disdain from others, especially as time goes on.
’Why did we want so desperately to be seen? I saw her. My eyes were full of her. But it wasn’t enough, and I was no longer hurt by it. The way she loved me wasn’t enough for me either. Maybe love would never be enough. Maybe it would never do what we wanted it to do.’
At the heart of this is the questioning of man’s inhumanity to man, from slavery, the Holocaust, genocide, the ’human ability to look at another human being and decide, nope, I think that kind of human is an animal’ and so to impose one’s superiority over another human being – if only in one’s mind. The scars that being the object of that kind of hate, inhumanity can leave on anyone and everyone involved.
And yet, it is a story filled with love.
Many thanks, once again, to the Public Library system, and the many Librarians that manage, organize and keep it running, for the loan of this book!
April 25, 2024
This book really underwhelmed me. It has an interesting premise but the execution was disappointing. I think a large part of why I didn’t like The Knockout Queen is because the writing is so flat. The prose felt one-note and boring. I also did not believe the voice of Michael at all; though I identify as more nonbinary/genderqueer male now, as someone who grew up as a gay boy, I did not find Michael’s voice authentic at all. He also enters a romantic relationship with a 56-year-old man, which wasn’t subversive or interesting in the least – if you’re going to use the age gap relationship trope whatever, but at least do something smart with it. Finally, Rufi Thorpe had some odd uses of the word “oriental” (honestly this didn’t even bother me as much as her writing style) and made a comment that wasn’t entirely unsympathetic to George Bush.
I’m not sure exactly why I’m giving this book two stars over one but I didn’t dislike it enough to give it one. Here’s to reading better books hopefully soon!
I’m not sure exactly why I’m giving this book two stars over one but I didn’t dislike it enough to give it one. Here’s to reading better books hopefully soon!
November 14, 2020
A delicate, shrewd, high school kid who is naturally introduced to some unacceptable conditions lastly makes a companion. Because she lives in a manor and is overflowing with abundance with a loving dad, everything he doesn't have, Michael feels like he can at last push ahead with existence with Bunny close by. This is Rufi Thorpe's epic THE KNOCKOUT QUEEN.
Michael has had it terribly. Experiencing childhood in a house with misuse, disregard, and now his mom is headed toward the jail. In any event, he is in a decent area and his auntie has taken him in, however, his circumstance is a long way from ideal.
His nearby neighbor's home is an all-out McMansion complete with a pool that Michael welcomes himself to swim in any event, when no one is near. Ultimately, he and Bunny meet and it's companionship from the start sight. She is as starved for it as he may be. Her dad, Ray, the occupant town VIP and land wheeler seller, is a vital participant in their lives. In any case, he has another side to him that the neighbors don't see. He's an alcoholic. Who isn't prepared to parent. Rabbit has just lost her mom to an awful mishap. Michael has basically lost both of his folks, so they are a decent match in their longing for parental direction.
Like Bunny's dad, Michael has another side to his sweet self, that he can't force himself to show Bunny or others. Rabbit's athletic ability and Michael's battle with character make for a surprising pair however together, they are a power. At the point when emotions erupt and an awful mishap turns lamentable, what will happen to their young lives.
This book is painfully wonderful. Thorpe strongly inspects the mind of youthful personalities, depicts the distress to have a place with such profundity and care, and uncovers the quality of companionship with a warmth so ground-breaking. A knockout of a read.
Michael has had it terribly. Experiencing childhood in a house with misuse, disregard, and now his mom is headed toward the jail. In any event, he is in a decent area and his auntie has taken him in, however, his circumstance is a long way from ideal.
His nearby neighbor's home is an all-out McMansion complete with a pool that Michael welcomes himself to swim in any event, when no one is near. Ultimately, he and Bunny meet and it's companionship from the start sight. She is as starved for it as he may be. Her dad, Ray, the occupant town VIP and land wheeler seller, is a vital participant in their lives. In any case, he has another side to him that the neighbors don't see. He's an alcoholic. Who isn't prepared to parent. Rabbit has just lost her mom to an awful mishap. Michael has basically lost both of his folks, so they are a decent match in their longing for parental direction.
Like Bunny's dad, Michael has another side to his sweet self, that he can't force himself to show Bunny or others. Rabbit's athletic ability and Michael's battle with character make for a surprising pair however together, they are a power. At the point when emotions erupt and an awful mishap turns lamentable, what will happen to their young lives.
This book is painfully wonderful. Thorpe strongly inspects the mind of youthful personalities, depicts the distress to have a place with such profundity and care, and uncovers the quality of companionship with a warmth so ground-breaking. A knockout of a read.
May 4, 2020
I think the synopsis for this book is all that you should know, and in fact I didn't even read it when I chose this as my May Book of the Month selection. I saw a few people that rated this book so highly, and trusted their judgement on picking up a book that I normally wouldn't. Once I saw a quote from Rupaul in the introduction of the book, I knew I picked the right choice. This book felt like an over dramatized version of my childhood and nearly broke me at times.
Rufi Thorpe's The Knockout Queen is quirky, sarcastic, honest, and very dark. I finished this book in a day because I just couldn't put it down! Rufi Thorpe's writing in this book is just so refreshingly brutal and has a clear message that she wants to convey. I really saw parallels to Michael's upbringing in this book and it triggered a lot of emotions for me. Prepare to laugh, prepare to hold back tears, this book is the real deal. I'm sorry I'm vague, but I really feel like it's better to go in with no understanding of the plot to really enjoy. I wish I read the book in a slower pace because I'm bummed that it's over— The Knockout Queen is the phenomenal of a story.
Rufi Thorpe's The Knockout Queen is quirky, sarcastic, honest, and very dark. I finished this book in a day because I just couldn't put it down! Rufi Thorpe's writing in this book is just so refreshingly brutal and has a clear message that she wants to convey. I really saw parallels to Michael's upbringing in this book and it triggered a lot of emotions for me. Prepare to laugh, prepare to hold back tears, this book is the real deal. I'm sorry I'm vague, but I really feel like it's better to go in with no understanding of the plot to really enjoy. I wish I read the book in a slower pace because I'm bummed that it's over— The Knockout Queen is the phenomenal of a story.
May 5, 2020
What in the world.... what did I just read?
December 4, 2020
QUICK TAKE: I f*cking loved THE KNOCKOUT QUEEN. The exploration of sex and violence and shame centered around 2 teenage outcasts (Michael, a gay goth and Bunny, an outgoing 6’3 female athlete) is dark and provocative and laugh-out-loud funny and packs a gut-punch of an ending that stuck with me days after I’d finished.
November 19, 2020
I hated this book and I don't understand why it's getting so many good reviews. So here are my two cents:
1) Michael, the narrator, was not likeable at all. He had a really bad life but he was such a hypocrite, judgemental person. He was constanly critising everybody for the exact same things he did (for example, he points out Naomi for ditching them after the incident happens but then he cuts off from Bunny's life as soon as he can) and he was also a horrible friend to Bunny. He never stands up for her but only keeps his "friendship" (even though he feels repulsed by her and her father) so as to use them because he had no where to go.
2) So many chapters dedicated to the "love story" between Michael and Anthony. Seriously, that was abuse yet the narrator keeps defending that relationship throught the years. It also feels really troubled a 13 year-old is already having sex with strangers. The author never presents this as something wrong, yet is quick to point out Bunny was date raped by her coach.
3) The stereotype of a tall girl: it's 2020 for god's sake! Are we still associating a tall, strong, athletic and tomboy girl with someone violent? The author not only does that, but she describes her as a beautiful monster and then makes her a murderer and of course, a lesbian.
4) The misogyny: I really looked up if the author was a woman. Twice. Michael's mother and Donna's stories are introduced to show us how victims of domestic abuse are blamed for what happens to them. Also how Jason and others get a small penalty for assaulting a gay man but Bunny's life is ruined. What kind a message was she trying to send by making the female protagonist go through all of that? Just because we're women we're screwed? However, the men get away with everything in this story.
5) The ending: the story accelerates a few years just to show us that Michael and Naomi have moved on and succeeded with their lives but Bunny is now a puppet of her father who's pushing her to keep boxing despite being clearly ill - the analogy between the concussions she provoked to Ann Marie and the one Bunny gets by boxing are a bit obvious. And of course it ends just like that because it seems the author could not come up with more ways to screw Bunny up.
From chapter 1 I knew I wasn't going to enjoy this book but I made it 'til the end with the hope Bunny could have some sort of happy ending. A complete waste of time.
1) Michael, the narrator, was not likeable at all. He had a really bad life but he was such a hypocrite, judgemental person. He was constanly critising everybody for the exact same things he did (for example, he points out Naomi for ditching them after the incident happens but then he cuts off from Bunny's life as soon as he can) and he was also a horrible friend to Bunny. He never stands up for her but only keeps his "friendship" (even though he feels repulsed by her and her father) so as to use them because he had no where to go.
2) So many chapters dedicated to the "love story" between Michael and Anthony. Seriously, that was abuse yet the narrator keeps defending that relationship throught the years. It also feels really troubled a 13 year-old is already having sex with strangers. The author never presents this as something wrong, yet is quick to point out Bunny was date raped by her coach.
3) The stereotype of a tall girl: it's 2020 for god's sake! Are we still associating a tall, strong, athletic and tomboy girl with someone violent? The author not only does that, but she describes her as a beautiful monster and then makes her a murderer and of course, a lesbian.
4) The misogyny: I really looked up if the author was a woman. Twice. Michael's mother and Donna's stories are introduced to show us how victims of domestic abuse are blamed for what happens to them. Also how Jason and others get a small penalty for assaulting a gay man but Bunny's life is ruined. What kind a message was she trying to send by making the female protagonist go through all of that? Just because we're women we're screwed? However, the men get away with everything in this story.
5) The ending: the story accelerates a few years just to show us that Michael and Naomi have moved on and succeeded with their lives but Bunny is now a puppet of her father who's pushing her to keep boxing despite being clearly ill - the analogy between the concussions she provoked to Ann Marie and the one Bunny gets by boxing are a bit obvious. And of course it ends just like that because it seems the author could not come up with more ways to screw Bunny up.
From chapter 1 I knew I wasn't going to enjoy this book but I made it 'til the end with the hope Bunny could have some sort of happy ending. A complete waste of time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 26, 2020
Bunny is a privileged teenager growing up in a McMansion with her father, Ray. She is exceptionally tall, but uses it to her advantage on the volleyball court, hoping to one day make the Olympics. ⠀ ⠀
Michael is coming to terms with his sexuality and troubled childhood. When his mother is sent to prison for three years after stabbing his abusive, alcoholic father with a butter knife, Michael moves into his Aunt's house. Her house is tiny and run down, but next door to Bunny's.⠀ ⠀
The two form an unlikely friendship, accepting the other entirely as they are. This is a novel riddled with violence and abuse, unhealthy relationships, and dysfunctional characters. It's also a novel filled with love, humor, and a beautiful story of overcoming the most challenging odds.
I absolutely recommend this coming of age book for anyone who enjoys dark, character-driven storylines.
Michael is coming to terms with his sexuality and troubled childhood. When his mother is sent to prison for three years after stabbing his abusive, alcoholic father with a butter knife, Michael moves into his Aunt's house. Her house is tiny and run down, but next door to Bunny's.⠀ ⠀
The two form an unlikely friendship, accepting the other entirely as they are. This is a novel riddled with violence and abuse, unhealthy relationships, and dysfunctional characters. It's also a novel filled with love, humor, and a beautiful story of overcoming the most challenging odds.
I absolutely recommend this coming of age book for anyone who enjoys dark, character-driven storylines.
June 10, 2020
GAH I JUST LOVED IT. Thank you Rufi Thorpe for creating these characters.
December 17, 2020
This one has become a favorite among Tournament of Books fans working through the long list before the shortlist comes out Friday. When the narrator Michael's mother goes to jail for stabbing his father during a domestic violence situation, he gets shuffled between family and friends and is largely left unsupervised. He uses that time to hook up with much older men in Grindr. Then he gets to know Bunny, the next door neighbor girl who is taller and stronger than everyone. Her father in local government and a real estate tycoon but everything is not as it seems.
This is the second novel I've read by Rudi Thorpe and they are usually about multiple things, with well drawn characters, and they keep me interested as a reader. (The first I read was Dear Fang, With Love, and that was because of a postal book swap, also recommended.)
This is the second novel I've read by Rudi Thorpe and they are usually about multiple things, with well drawn characters, and they keep me interested as a reader. (The first I read was Dear Fang, With Love, and that was because of a postal book swap, also recommended.)
May 16, 2020
There were times I hated this book so much that I wanted to fling it across the room, and then put it in my donate pile and be done with it. Yet I kept reading and in the end, I am glad I did. I won't be able to forget it for a while. It stirred up a lot of emotions in me. Be prepared and know that this is NOT light reading nor is it YA. There are very graphic violent parts in the book that I skipped completely over. I really struggled with that.
Kudos to Rufi Thorpe for creating these unforgettable characters.
Kudos to Rufi Thorpe for creating these unforgettable characters.
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