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One of the great joys of reading is to find a book that pulls you in right from the opening chapters and doesn't let you go until the final conclusion. That's the experience I had with SUCKER PUNCH, a book that will definitely be on my list of favorite books published in 2009. Cal Innes is a caretaker at Paulo's Gym in Manchester, Scotland, and really dedicates himself to doing whatever needs to be done to support the operation. He's just recently been released from parole when Paulo asks him to travel to Los Angeles as a chaperone for Liam Wooley, a 17-year-old boxer who shows a lot of promise and whom Paulo has entered into a major competition. Cal isn't wild about the idea of babysitting Liam, but he does so out of loyalty to Paulo. LA is indeed a strange place in a strange land. Upon arrival at the gym where the bouts will take place, Cal quickly sees that Liam may be overmatched. In a stroke of luck, Liam stumbles upon a former boxer who is willing to coach him. After working with Nelson Byrne, Liam finds his focus and shows that he really has the chops to succeed as a boxer. And then, everything falls apart. Cal is shot; Liam is drugged and kidnapped, hours before his scheduled bout. Can Cal find him in time to give him his one chance at glory? In addition to the expedition to a foreign country, Cal is also on a journey toward self-realization. He marvels at the fact that in their time in the States, Liam has moved from being an out-of-control little snot who used to mug grannies to a young man exhibiting unexpected maturity. What Cal doesn't expect is to learn more about himself—what he finds is not always flattering to his self image. In a way, he's the real boxer in the story. He's the one that can't turn the other cheek. He's the one who has to hit back when someone hits him, who figures out how to exact revenge but never quite wins the war. SUCKER PUNCH touched me on many levels. I was highly amused by Cal's experiences in the US. He made many humorous observations about life in LA, such as his experience with the rigid no-smoking laws. The characterization is wonderful; Cal had his heart in the right place despite his faults, and the transformation of Liam was completely believable. I love how Banks takes an essentially noir work and integrates touches of pathos that create real emotion in the reader all along the way. I love this book.
Reviewed by Maddy Van Hertbruggen, March 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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