Underspin
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
'A staggeringly good debut, written with élan, compassion and wit' Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time
'Challengers, but make it table tennis' Lit Hub, 'Most Anticipated Books of 2025'
'An eruption of a debut . . . with meticulous precision and tremendous heart' Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, author of Chain-Gang All-Stars
'A superior force to be reckoned with' Neel Mukherjee, author of The Lives of Others and Choice
Ryan Lo begins playing table tennis aged eight. His brilliant but ruthless coach sees a talent in him that might be nurtured into greatness.
Through an adolescence marked by hours of practice, matches away from home, clandestine relationships and a determination to win, Ryan ascends to the highest echelons of the game, just as he was supposed to.
But here he is now, dead before his twenty-fifth birthday, leaving grief and confusion in his wake.
Ryan Lo was meant to be great. What happened?
Underspin delves beneath the pressure that forges a champion, and the vulnerability that makes a coming of age: the crackling intensity of a match, the push and pull of first love, and the great injustices committed within our closest relationships.
'A kaleidoscopic novel . . . Zhao's prose is a marvel' Rob Franklin, author of Great Black Hope
'Leaves a trail of fire in its wake . . . An electric debut' Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky
'An unconventional and stylish portrait of a table tennis wunderkind . . . this book will immerse you in its high-stakes world until the very last page' Alina Grabowski, author of Women and Children First
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Zhao debuts with a searing portrait of a table tennis star who dies under mysterious circumstances at age 24. The story opens with Ryan Lo's funeral, then rewinds to recount his life story from the perspectives of those who knew him. There's Kagin, a regional umpire looking to enhance his professional standing at the national championships in Las Vegas, where he meets Ryan and his girlfriend, Anabel, when the couple are teens. Soon after, Ryan's controlling coach, Kristian, forces him to break up with Anabel. Rahul, who trained with Ryan as a boy and no longer plays the game, recounts how Ryan lost his qualifier for the 2012 London Olympics, prompting Kristian to publicly berate him. As an adult, Ryan fires Kristian but continues to communicate with him. At the same time, he plays in a German professional league, where he sustains a debilitating leg injury. Later, in New York City, Ryan is hired as a private coach but is quickly fired for showing up to a training session smelling of beer. While a plot twist revealing the reason behind Ryan's downfall is a bit too telegraphed, the novel offers an intense immersion in the world of table tennis while remaining focused on the dramatic ups and downs of Ryan's career. It's an illuminating story of dedication and sacrifice.
