Underspin - E Y Zhao

''An electric debut'' Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky
''Zhao''s prose is a marvel'' Rob Franklin, author of Great Black Hope

Ryan Lo begins playing table tennis at age 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.

''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