The Longshot

by Katie Kitamura

Cal and his trainer, Riley, are on their way to Mexico for a make-or-break rematch with legendary fighter Rivera. Four years ago, Cal became the only mixed martial arts fighter to take Rivera the distance -- but the fight nearly ended him. Only Riley, who has been at his side for the last ten years, knows how much that fight changed things for Cal. And only Riley really knows what's now at stake, for both of them.

Katie Kitamura's brilliant and stirring debut novel follows Cal and Riley through the three fraught days leading up to this momentous match, as each privately begins to doubt that Cal can win. As the tension builds toward the final electrifying scene, the looming fight becomes every challenge each of us has ever taken on, no matter how uncertain the outcome.

In hypnotic, pared-down prose, "The Longshot" offers a striking portrait of two men striving to stay true to themselves and each other in the only way they know how.

Genres: Fiction, Sports, Novels, Literature, Audiobook, Literary Fiction, School

193 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Katie Kitamura’s most recent novel is Intimacies. One of The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2021, it was longlisted for the National Book Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award and was a finalist for the Joyce Carol Oates Prize. It was also one of Barack Obama’s favorite books of 2021. In France, it won the Prix Litteraire Lucien Barriere, was a finalist for the Grand Prix de l’Heroine, and was nominated for the Prix Fragonard. Her previous novel, A Separation, was a finalist for the Premio von Rezzori and a New York Times Notable Book.

Her work has been translated into over 20 languages and is being adapted for film and television. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize in Literature as well as fellowships from the Lannan, Jan Michalski and Santa Maddalena Foundations. She teaches in the creative writing program at New York University. Her new novel, Audition, will be published by Riverhead Books in 2025.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are going to read one book about MMA I'd probably recommend this one to you. I'm assuming you don't care about MMA, and probably think it's stupid/barbaric/a blood sport/gay/not a real sport like boxing/just another professional wrestling organization.

Why this one? Because it's not really a book about fighting (or it is but not really about fisticuffs, if you want to call dealing with the demons in your head fighting, than yes this is about that). And it's also not the kind of book that should the cover it does.

The basic gist of the novel is a on the decline fighter is scheduled to fight the current champ of a small-name organization. Earlier in the fighter's career he'd been the promising up and comer. He went undefeated for a bunch of fights until he lost to some new kid who everyone expected him to walk all over. He didn't just lose he got knocked out. KO'd for the first time in his life. After that he lost something in his fight game. Fear? Uncertainty? And he went from promising up and comer to an average grinder who won some and lost some but never looked the same in the cage again. The newbie who made him kiss the canvas is now the champ who destroys everyone who comes his way. And because the fight world loves rematches these two are being set to fight again. *(I'm including some more MMA stuff in this footnote, and not littering the actual review with it).

Reading the book you'll probably find yourself hoping that the main character will pull off the upset longshot victory (and maybe he does), but this isn't a story about the brassy motivated Rocky type, it's the story of a loser. Even if he wins the fight he has still lost it before he ever stepped into the ring. He's a golden boy who took one punch to the chin and never fully recovered his confidence. There is the over-used saying (this isn't the only one, the commentators are full of them) that a fighter learns a lot about himself after his first loss. This is probably true of everyone. It's easy to do well when all you know is success, but it shows what your really made of when you get beaten. Do you let the defeat define you or do you come back stronger and learn from your mistakes and risk failing again when you give it your all?** Is the manner that the main character decides to fight a losers choice? Is there a victory in the way he takes a massive beating but refuses to be knocked down? Is this a masochistic victory of someone afraid to really try? Afraid that if he went to his wrestling(really the only way he could have conceivably won the fight) and lost that he would have to admit to himself that he wasn't as good as the other guy but fighting the other guys fight he could have the symbolic victory in defeat?

This is a fairly sparse, almost Hemingway-ish novel that I think can be enjoyed by people who don't normally have any interest in the fight game. Sort of the same way someone can enjoy a Hemingway novel and not necessarily care at all about bull-fighting. I'd recommend it, but it's not one of those essential books that I think you should move to the top of your reading list or anything, but it is a quality book and I'm kind of interested in what else this young author comes up with.

*The current champ is something like Pride era Wanderlei Silva. I don't know who, if anyone the main character is modeled on. Part of me kept thinking Chael Sonnen, but that is only because of the rematch he has coming up with Anderson Silva this weekend. There is nothing like Sonnen's personality, or with the way that Sonnen lost his first fight with Silva in the character though, and I was just projecting. In case your wondering, I'm really hoping that Sonnen wins in his fight against Silva this weekend. I want to see Anderson Silva lose, and if he doesn't lose I want to see him at least have to win the fight by getting into a brawl. I'm also hoping to see Forrest Griffin beat Tito Ortiz, but that fight makes me feel sad inside, but at least the UFC matchmakers have finally pitted Griffin against someone who I think he can beat and not just be an entertaining punching bag for.***

One criticism of the book. The book takes place during fight week. The week leading up to the fight, a time when most fighters are in the process of starving and dehydrating themselves so they can make weight. The main character here eats like a man with a healthy appetite, and eats lots of things no one would eat if they were trying to lose weight. This confused me, and then it was explained that he was safely underweight, which was baffling to me. No American with a wrestling pedigree would fight at their walking around weight, not to mention in a weight class where they are pounds below the limit. This is insane. By the time the fight began his opponent would probably outweigh him by over twenty pounds. The size difference between the two fighters alone would make the fight a lopsided affair. This sort of reminded me of some of Fedor's last fights, when it was obvious he was on the decline but continued to fight as a heavyweight even though he'd always been a small heavyweight, and if he had cut weight he could have easily fought as a light-heavyweight, and even possibly a middle weight.

**It's so easy to curl up and not try. It's easy to nitpick and play the victim. It's easy to make excuses. Blaming everyone and seeing the world is out to get you is easy. Thinking that you are owed anything just for showing up is easy. Fuck yous are so easy to say. Playing the martyr is easy. It's so easy to hide in persecution delusions and pat yourself on the back that you're better than everyone else. I should know, I'm a master at doing this bullshit. I've built a whole life around avoiding so many things. I won't even recommend a book I love to people most of the time because I don't want my precious opinion challenged. But we've all been knocked out before, we've all been dealt shitty hands that we had to play. So what? It doesn't make you, me or anyone else special. It doesn't give us a free pass, automatic pats on the back. No one but other people looking to have their excuses validated gives a shit. Life fucking sucks now go out and make the best of it (Now I just have to go take my own advice, but that probably won't be happening anytime soon.)

***If you are coming across this review sometime after it was initially written you may be wondering how my predictions went. I broke even. Sonnen lost after a fairly spectacular first round. It was good to see Silva get battered around a bit, but the second round was a massacre and Sonnen didn't look like he stood a chance. He didn't. He lost in the second round. Forrest Griffin won by decision. But before the decision was made he once again ran out of the octagon. He had to be told to go back into the octagon to hear the decision. He said he was depressed. Great, right? He then made an ass out of himself by stealing the Joe Rogan's microphone and interviewed Ortiz himself. Pissing off everyone, but looking like a total champ in my book. His irrational actions immediately following the fight solidified him as one of my top five favorite fighters. It was later announced by Sonnen that he wouldn't in fact be quitting the UFC (like he promised he would if he lost this fight) and instead is going to move up a weight-class and plans to make his debut as a UFC fighter in the Light-Heavyweight division against Griffin. I have no idea if this fight will happen, but it could be a fairly interesting one, although it will most likely be a very one-sided match-up in Sonnen's favor. In case anyone is wondering, this week my favorite fighter is a woman. Her name is Ronda Rousey and she is amazing.

[Nigel Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Towards the end of last year, a
story of mine was published in a volume of ‘The Reader’. The other piece of fiction in that issue was by Vanessa Hemingway, granddaughter of the great man himself.


On the back of ‘The Longshot’ Tom McCarthy says ‘Hemingway’s returned to life – and this time, he’s a woman’.


Now steady on Tom, I thought when I read that. Let’s not get too carried away.


Thing is, he didn’t.


It’s an extra-ordinary debut. Quite astonishing.


Like many a book on the fighting world, the ring and the gym is simply the setting to explore character and relationships, more specifically relationships between men.
The Longshot is not only in Hemingway territory, but in the world of John Ford and Howard Hawkes, only here the only woman to get a look in is completely ignored –there’s no way our fighter Cal (who knew?) is going to be distracted by anything.


Trainer Riley drives Cal to Mexico. They’ve been together since Riley discovered him as a wrestler. There’s something of father and son in their relationship – they’re hard men with caged emotions, they have little to say to each other or to anyone else, yet there is a tenderness that is touching and hard to miss.


Here’s a little example:


“Cal Shivered. Riley was already yanking his duffel bag open and pulling out a hoodie. He threw it over Cal’s shoulders. Cal nodded thanks. They kept moving. Riley reached a hand over and pulled the hoodie close. Cal pushed his arms through and zipped it up. They turned the corner and followed the signs for the dressing rooms.”


It was Riley who packed the duffel bag; he’s thought of everything. He gets to act without being asked. Laconic Cal doesn’t need to speak. They put on the hoodie as it they’re Siamese twins. And they keep moving forward to meet their fate.


Cal was doing well as a fighter until the day he met the machine that is Rivera. We know Rivera is hot because the desk clerk at their hotel tells us so at the beginning.
Right from the off then, we know Cal has a hell of a fight on his hands.


It turns out it’s a rematch. Cal is the only fighter Rivera didn’t beat within the distance. He’s been on the skids since, but hasn’t been in finer shape for years.


Everything looks good until Riley watches men from Rivera’s gym and his sparring partners work for the press. They’re awesome. The next generation is bigger and better. Only Rivera can outdo them, but even he will bow out to them in the end.


This is the point where Riley knows his fighter can’t win. It’s about the same time that Cal realises the same.


Even so, the fight is arranged and they don’t know any other way.


Everything builds towards the fight, yet there is more to the book than that.


When Cal and Rivera eventually do get into the ring, it’s spectacular writing. My heart was pumping in overdrive for the last fifteen pages or so and when I finished I sat trying to keep my head together. I was in a public place, see, and I didn’t want to spill my emotions all over the people around me. Had I been alone I might have cried. I’d certainly have had to get up and move around so pumped with adrenaline Kitamura had me. What a fantastic way to end a story – how often do we get to feel like that when the covers close.


I just kept picking it up and looking at it in disbelief.

Yep. Outstanding.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

review to come

The sparse and precise prose, and the perfectly paired narrator, pulled me through.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I read a book about mixed martial arts fighting and actually liked it, but I did! Anyone who knows me knows that I can't stand to watch this kind of violence on TV or in person, but for some reason I can read about it just fine. Analyze that! :)[return][return]Cal is a fighter who is a little bit past his prime mentally. He was winning everything until Rivera came along, a new fighter who rocked his world and destroyed him in the ring. Now Cal is back in peak physical condition and all set to fight Rivera again in Tijuana. The book traces Cal and his trainer Riley for the few days before the fight. Talk about the suspense. I won't tell you who wins the fight, but let's just say that you really get into Cal and Riley's head before the big day. I always wondered what made these guys step into the ring or cage or whatever it is. Personally, I like to think I've evolved past fighting. I might resort to fighting if someone is hurting someone I love. Maybe. But I'd go right for the eyeballs and end it quick. ;) I'm darn proud to say I've never been in a fight and I plan to keep my record clean. lol.[return][return]But I'm rambling. Kitamura shows us what a fighter goes through in the days and hours before a fight. It's mind-blowing and scary. But fascinating.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not a book that I would have picked up on my own. It's a book about a mixed-martial arts fighter named Cal and his trainer, Riley, going up as the "longshot" in a re-match fight set in Tijuana. But, it's books like this that reinforce the power of a word of mouth referral from someone with great taste in books!

The style of the book creates a lot of dramatic tension right from the get-go. The writing is a little more rugged in its directness, which is appropriate for the characters and the story Kitamura is telling. I nearly resisted my bad habit of flipping to the end of the book to read the final pages -- but not quite. I didn't want to put this book down while I was reading it, and would happily read other books by Kitamura in the future.

[Hoolie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re read.
Prior to Rousey's defeat from Nunes, the Hollywood storyline would have put her into heavy comeback favorite. But now what? Was it her coach's fault? Did she psych herself out? I really wish for a coach's perspective. Why does a pro fall from the highs of a champ so far? No defensive game at all? No year's worth of training and sparring strategy for a striking opponent can prepare an athlete who just doesn't have any more wins in them? This book may not address the reality but it does capture some of the internal affairs of a fighter's mind, in sparse Hemingway-esq writing. I'd like to make it into a sports movie.

[eb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tight, terse, gripping. The final fight scene is a heartstopper. If I have one complaint, it's about the Britishisms. Kitamura's writing about all-American dudes, here, people who'd never say, "I've not seen him" instead of "I haven't seen him."

[Sarah]

So good. Just immensely enjoyable

[David Hebblethwaite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie Kitamura’s debut is one of those novels whose form neatly mirrors its subject. The Longshot is about mixed martial arts (MMA), and it’s as sharp and focused as a fighter on top form. Our protagonists are Riley, an MMA trainer; and Cal, his protégé of ten years. We join them as they arrive in Tijuana, where Cal is due for a rematch against the legendary Rivera, who beat him four years previously. Both Cal and Riley appreciate how significant this fight is going to be.

The Longshot is a short book, and its prose terse to match – but that doesn’t mean it’s not descriptive. Kitamura captures superbly the physicality of the fighting about which she writes, its combination of violence and extreme control. However, what stands out even more for me – and there’s a nice tension between this and the novel’s brevity – is the emphasis on observation. Riley and Cal pore obsessively over videos of Rivera’s old bouts, in search of the key that will enable Cal to gain the upper hand: a little weakness or habit or pattern that could be exploited in Cal’s game plan. That relentless need to notice spills over into other areas of life, as when the two men can’t help observing how each other eats breakfast. But it’s presented most vividly when Cal is finally in the ring against Rivera:

His head was light. His body was light. It was the detail that was doing it. Everywhere there was detail. He placed his hands on the ropes. The grain of the rope, each individual piece of ribbing – just the touch was enough to burn him. His toe brushed against the canvas, and he felt the give of the floor against the tug of the nail (pp. 171-2).

So, Kitamura presents MMA as an all-consuming sport, one that demands the full focus of its practitioners’ bodies and minds. That’s something else brought home by The Longshot’s tight focus; we learn hardly anything about Cal’s and Riley’s backgrounds (save that Cal was a kid going nowhere in life when Riley spotted his talent). If these men have lives and relationships outside of MMA, we don’t see them – and the sport is so important to them that it hardly makes any difference.

There’s a clear sense that Cal and Riley depend on each other, and wouldn’t really know how to function if anything undermine their relationship. That’s why they’re ambivalent about the impending fight with Rivera; it could destroy Cal’s career as easily as revitalise it. Both protagonists have their moments of doubt: Riley visits Rivera’s training gym in San Diego; seeing the talented new kids there makes him feel hopelessly behind the curve. For Cal, a similar moment comes when he sees posters for the match in the streets of Tijuana; his instinct is just to run, to escape. He’s had to become so self-absorbed for his training that being reminded of the reality of the fight in the outside world is almost too much to bear. But both Riley and Cal must go on, because of all there is to gain – and, perhaps, because they’re simply unable to do otherwise.

The Longshot is a portrait of two men pushed to extremes, whether extremes of physical exertion, concentration, or desperation. It’s very well achieved indeed, and puts Katie Kitamura’s imminent second novel, Gone to the Forest, straight on my to-read list.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know that most of my friends will assume that I'll automatically like this book. After all, it combines two things I love: reading and mixed martial arts. I'll admit, those facts ARE the reason I bought the book in the first place. I'm a huge UFC fan and I decided I'd take a chance on it. After all... I WAS one of the "three chicks in the whole world" to read Forrest Griffin's book, "Got Fight?."

I did have reservations though... I was worried that the auhor wouldn't really know anything about the sport and I'd get disgusted with it. I have sworn off an author (no names *cough* Amanda Ashley *cough*) for that exact reason. She wrote a novel with a "painter" as a main character, but never even told us what kind of paint she used. I believe she mentions the character choosing a flat brush, but did not explain why she did, or what effect she was going for by using that type of brush. I was pleasantly surprised that this was NOT the case in The Longshot.

I have one compliment/complaint. I know; confusing right? I'll explain. Kitamura writes in the VERY detailed sytle of most Brit Lit. At times, this is wonderful. At other times, it simply makes me want to pull my hair out! For instance, she could have just said "he practiced for two hours then went back to the hotel and took a shower." Instead, she lists off everything his coach drills him on with such vivid detail I could see it happening in my head. Also, the way she described the fighter's hightened senses before the fight made it more believable, more authentic. I truly felt like I was in his head, gearing up for battle and finding that quiet moment... the calm before the storm.

... But when she's describing their breakfast orders word for word and then the order in which they eat it and in what fashion... It just gets boring. The dialogue gets tedious when it goes on for more than a couple sentences at a time. Luckily the character's internal monologues aren't quite as droll.

I DID find the "fight or flight" moment both fighter and trainer experienced was very touching. Both realized they could just walk away and never come back... But they stayed. We all come to that point at some time, when we realize we could just give up~ Be we MMA fighters or just regular people.

I won't say anything about the ending. I don't want to give anything away. I will simply say... it ended how it had to! This book had my stomach in knots the whole time, nervous and anxious for the upcoming fight! I loved it and highly recommend it. =)

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the POPSUGAR challenge "author with the same first or last name as you". It was a more effort than I thought it would be to find a title for this one! Not because my first name is uncommon by any means, but it seemed like such a cop-out to just blindly point at any one of dozen contemporary romance novels and go (and no power on Earth was going to make me read Katie Pavlich's drek). So I tirelessly trawled through three whole pages of results before finding something appealing: Katie Kitamura's The Longshot.

Since falling ass over tea kettle for ice hockey, sports writing and fiction has been on my radar a lot more often. This novel is about the three days that lead up to an MMA rematch between our lead character Cal and the legendary Rivera, with Cal's trainer Riley as guide through their fraught history.

The dialogue in this is such hetero dude speak. Simple structures, varying emotional tone even if the words are the same over and over. A lot of things said between the lines because the characters can't seem to bring themselves to say it aloud.

Riley scouted Cal out of high school wrestling, trained him and his rise was meteoric - until it wasn't. A typical sports story - this rematch with a champion fighter is a redemption of sorts. There's fear, doubt and worry all leading up to the final culmination of the fight, which is left fairly ambiguous. Cal doesn't win, which almost seemed so obvious that I thought Kitamura was going to do the obvious just to fuck with us, but Cal also may or may not live through the beating he put himself through just not to be a KO. Regardless of which of if he lives or dies, he'll definitely never fight professionally again.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Katie Kitamura's amazing debut novel, the fighter Cal and his friend and trainer Riley travel to Tijuana for a fight that's the chance of a lifetime for Cal. Four years earlier, Cal went the distance with the champion Rivera, in their first match-up. But Rivera still won that fight, and has finally agreed to a rematch. Riley and Cal both know that Cal's hopes for a new start in the sport, and both their futures, rest on this one make-or-break match.

I really loved this book. When I received the review copy from Simon & Schuster, my first thought was that it wasn't really the best book for me. I've never cared much for the mixed martial arts variety of fighting – seems a little too much like ordinary mayhem to me. But The Longshot was almost enough to make me a fan. Almost. It's a tightly focused story written in a stripped-down, deceptively simple style that's sure to draw comparisons to Hemingway, I suspect. You learn very little about the past lives of Cal and Riley – not much about their families or time away from the job. And yet by book's end, you can't help feeling you know all about these men. Cal and Riley are each on a journey of self-discovery that we take right along with them. You don't actually have to be a boxing or MMA fan or know anything about either sport to like this book. The relationship between the two men, their exchanges, and the time we spend inside their heads is really what this work is all about. The action is exciting, immediate, and raw, but not as interesting as the story of Cal and Riley. Their journey back into the ring for the fight of Cal's career is moving, psychologically jarring, and a really exciting ride.

[Nicholas Ahlhelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among the pulp community there is often talk about pulp and literature. Even some of the best modern pulp writers out there sometimes express doubt that a novel can both be pulp and be literature. Other authors have set out to prove it’s possible.

While no one was looking, someone did. And her name is Katie Kitamura.

Kitamura isn’t a name famous to pulp circles, but she isn’t all that well know out of them either. Kitamura has only written a handful of books, but it is her MMA tale The Longshot that shows that she not only gets pulp, but is an expert at writing it.

Clocking in at under 200 pages, The Longshot is sports pulp at its finest. It tells the story of Cal and his trainer, Riley, two men that are on a quest to bring Cal back to the top of professional MMA. In order to do it, they travel to Mexico with a fight against the legendary fighter MMA. Cal is the only man that ever took Rivera the distance, but in the process he nearly ended his own life.

Kitamura details the days leading up to the fight in taut, hard-hitting prose. The fights are narrated with simple, straight-forward power. Never is a word wasted as the story barrels ever forward towards the inevitable make or break fight for Cal and Riley.

The Longshot isn’t the happiest novel you will ever read. In the finest tradition of strong literary fiction, not everything comes up roses at the end. But for page after page, Kitamura gives one of the finest sports tales you will ever read. Recommended.

[Samuel Cullotta]

The Longshot


The book The Longshot was written by Katie Kitamura. The book is a fiction book about mixed martial arts. Cal and his friend/trainer Riley are on there way to a fight in Tijuana for a fight against a long time great fighter Rivera. The last time Cal fought Rivera he stayed in it for the whole match, making him the last person to survive an entire fight against Rivera. To prepare for the fight Cal took a lot of time to train. The day of the fight came and he was nervous, but ready. As the fight started Cal was in it the whole time. This was really a make or break match for the two of them. Cal ends up winning the fight being the first to beat Rivera. I really would have liked if this book gave more detail during the fight and the bout some time after it. I was disappointed about that. I can connect to this book because i have spent a lot of time preparing for a sporting event. Over the summer we train every other day to get ready for the hockey season. I would recommend this book to a lot of people that like motivational stories and enjoy mixed martial arts. It really did a good job leading up to the fight and you thought you were in Cal and Riley's head leading up to it. In conclusion, i enjoyed this book a lot and look to read more like it.

[Yoonmee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cal and his trainer arrive in Mexico for the rematch that could make or break Cal's career as an MMA fighter. But throughout the three days before the fight, the two men experience various stages of doubt as to whether or not even going through with the fight is a good idea. Kitamura's sparsely written narrative is reminiscent of Hemingway in that the writing and dialogue are extremelty taut. There's a lot going on there; you just have to look for it.

I must admit that this book combines two things I am a big fan of -- Asian American authors and MMA fighting. I had to read this quickly for a class assignment but I plan on reading it over again as soon as this class is over so I can really sit with the text and truly enjoy it.

Another note: This book is a 2010 Alex Award nominee for best adult books for young adults from the American Library Association. I can definitely see middle and high school boys really enjoying this book, although I think it is more appropriate for high schoolers.

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a reading teacher, I'm constantly on the lookout for books my students will enjoy.

I saw this on the bargain shelf at my local bookstore, and I was drawn to it because of the cover.

I teach disadvantaged high school students who are struggling readers, so I knew that the cover would grab their attention as well.

Still, it's about substance, and this book has just that.

The subject matter, ultimate fighting, is relevant to today's mainstream culture. The story is one that keeps you holding your breath as you wait to see how things play out. While you wait and read, you get a glimpse into the feelings and thought processes that occur in the minds of trainers and fighters.

The end of the book wasn't quite as I'd hoped, but that lends itself to my perspective on life. Still, I found myself able to smile a bit, understanding why the writer chose that ending.

I think my students will enjoy this book, although I am curious how they'll feel when they reach the end.

[Randy Daugherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Long Shot- Four years earlier Cal had went the distance with Rivera, the only man to do so. Now at 29 Cal is almost done with the game but his trainer Riley sets up the long awaited rematch with Rivera.
Instead of a story full of training and fighting we a get a story of first the love and caring for one another between a trainer and his fighter.
We watch as each struggles in his own way with getting older and hanging on for one last chance.
This was a short but interesting read but the ending though not totally out of line still comes as a let down but still a great story and one I would recommend to any one who enjoys the sport.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

On the surface, this is a sports novel, but the prose is so powerful and elegant that Kitamura makes Cal and Riley's tale universal. A really beautiful story about choice, sacrifice, success, and bravery.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie Kitamura, though from NYC, knows the West and somehow gives a unusual view of the mixed martial arts competitive world. The trainer and former fighter steals the show, but his protege always looks like a long shot that might make it. Good suspense and the final section is in Tia Juana.

[Fonda Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't found many novels about MMA, so I was very happy to come across The Longshot. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, as I did. The narrator really brings to life Kitamura's spare and affecting prose.

[Paula Margulies · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a marvelous debut -- kudos to Katie Kitamura!

[Mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dandy first book by this writer. Unexpectedly good story about the fight
game and the men who lose themselves to the sport. Lots of action, lots
of thought. Completely took me by surprise.

[Matthew Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, punch-packed prose. For fans of UFC or to root for an author who will immerse you in a great fight story.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, even the second time through when I knew how it all turned out.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Which surprised the hell out of me: I am not interested in mixed martial arts, and don't have the stomach for fights in general.

[Gort · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ea corrupti autem recusandae. Nostrum dolores culpa et consequuntur tempora error ipsam. Expedita soluta praesentium nisi quis ut magni architecto.

[Caleb Best · Rating 5 out of 5]

She did it! Katie Kitamura has officially entered my "One of my authors" category. This was such a fascinating book; a book that touches on the power of family, hard work, and determination. It's wild to me how Katie Kitamura's first book was a sports novel, considering how avant-garde her future works are. This book reads very differently from her later works. Don't get me wrong, there is a hint of the writer that put pen to paper and made the Booker long list nominee, that is, Audition, but this book is much more plain in prose and straightforward in plot. Nonetheless, this book is fantastic.

[Kallie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hate boxing. I truly hate seeing men or women beat on each other. It seems to me the ultimate corrupt example of spectator sport. Reading the fights recounted in this novel I felt indignant. Somebody had to lose and badly, horribly. Why were some of these fights not stopped before horrific physical damage was done to the loser? Oh, silly me; of course. Because that is what spectators of the sport pay to see. This and other fight sports are no different from the Roman games we call barbaric. What Kitamura does here is present the inevitability of that competition for some, who believe that is their only talent, their only way to "be somebody." Almost makes me feel that Rod Steiger was very smart in not allowing his younger bro played by Brando to win a fight, go on to a career in boxing. "I coulda been somebody!" Brando laments. Yeah. Maybe. Until your brain was destroyed by too many blows to the head. And that is what Kitamura's protagonist fighter says: What else can I do? (Well lots of things, but U.S. society does not provide many options to the likes of him.) The fact that this sport is significant and popular in our culture makes me sick.

[Backoff51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent mixed martial arts book. Kitamura displayed an understanding of the game that exceeded what was expected or anticipated. She must have spent a lot of time learning about the ins and outs of MMA.

I was intrigued from the very start and kept wondering how it was going to end. I was not disappointed.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tight, understated view of mma life. Missing the mastery of tension from Kitamura’s more recent novels, but finely written and swift.