Knockout Queen (Thorpe) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[F]ull of verve and… vibrant… . Thorpe inverts the more common tale of an impoverished sufferer who is momentarily saved or mourned by a richer, more stable friend. The result is revelatory.… Thorpe writes convincingly about the intricacies of teenage hierarchy and the endless varieties of torture that the young can inflict on one other.
Los Angeles Times


[An] electric portrait of adolescence.
Time


Through Michael’s clear-eyed gaze, Rufi Thorpe unfurls a coming-of-age tale that feels both fresh and familiar: a shrewd exploration of all the ways people find to pass on the hurt and anger they’ve been given and a tender, furious ode to the connections that somehow still endure, despite everything.
Entertainment Weekly


Thorpe’s fierce third novel observes the development of and challenges to an intense friendship between two outcasts at a Southern California high school…. Deeply realized and complex. The result cannily dissects the power and limits of adolescent friendship.
Publishers Weekly


Thorpe's coming-of-age tale set against a backdrop filled with hate and violence will captivate readers with its brutal honesty and unbreakable bonds of friendship. Recommended for fans of Emma Straub and Jami Attenberg. —Laura Jones, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis
Library Journal


Thorpe… writes with savage poignancy as she explores identity, adolescent friendship, and the insatiable longing for intimacy. Her novel is devastatingly honest, her characters vulnerable, and her readers will be spellbound.
Booklist


(Starred review) [A]n arrestingly original, darkly comic meditation on moral ambiguity.… There are no victims here and no heroes… , and the result is a novel both nauseatingly brutal and radically kind. Brilliantly off-kilter and vibrating with life.
Kirkus Reviews


(Starred review) With charismatic characters and a surprising and devastating storyline, The Knockout Queen is a moody and mordantly funny contemplation of the rigors of growing up that will leave readers reeling.
BookPage