THE KNOCKOUT QUEEN

by Rufi Thorpe

Aptly titled, The Knockout Queen is indeed a knockout and an absolute must-read. In her two main characters, Bunny and Michael, Thorpe has created a relationship as unlikely and unusual as it is beautiful and compelling. Thorpe writes brilliantly, and I was so immersed in these two characters’ lives, I absolutely could not stop reading until I had finished the book.

Michael, whose mother is in prison and whose father has disappeared, has recently moved to Los Angeles and is living in a tiny cottage with his homophobic aunt and cousin. Struggling with his sexuality and feeling friendless and like an outsider in his new high school, he pursues a secret life through Grindr and works at a local Rite Aid. Michael’s life takes a turn for the better when he meets Bunny, his 6-foot, 2-inch next door neighbor who is a star on his school’s volleyball team. Bunny seems to Michael to “have it all”: a mansion for a house, total freedom to come and go from her father and popularity at school. But, as their friendship evolves and they become really close, Michael discovers Bunny’s life is filled with difficulties of a very different sort. I won’t soon forget The Knockout Queen’s nail-biting, climactic scene, when Bunny beats up a fellow student in defense of Michael.

Thorpe’s story further captivates as she poignantly describes how that fight forever changes both Bunny’s and Michael’s lives. On a scale of one to ten for gripping, unforgettable reads, The Knockout Queen is clearly a 10. (Liz)