The Slip

A HAYMAKER OF AN AMERICAN NOVEL ABOUT A MISSING TEENAGE BOY, CASES OF FLUID AND MISTAKEN IDENTITY, AND THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF BOXING

Austin, Texas: Itâs the summer of 1998, and thereâs a new face on the scene at Terry Tuckerâs Boxing Gym. Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein has never felt comfortable in his own skin, but under the tutelage of a swaggering Haitian-born ex-fighter named David Dalice, he begins to come into his own. Even the boyâs slightly stoned uncle, Bob Alexander, who is supposed to be watching him for the summer, notices the change. Nathaniel is happier, more confident â" tanner, even. Then one night he vanishes, leaving little trace behind.

Across the city, Charles Rex, now going simply by âXâ, has been undergoing a teenage transformation of his own, trolling the phone sex hotline that his mother works, seeking an outlet for everything that feels wrong about his body, looking for intimacy and acceptance in a culture that denies him both. As a surprising and unlikely romance blooms, X feels, for a moment, like he might have found the safety heâs been searching for. But itâs never that simple.

More than a decade later, Nathanielâs uncle Bob receives a shocking tip, propelling him to open his own investigation into his nephewâs disappearance. The resulting search involves gymgoers past and present, including a down-on-his-luck twin and his opportunistic brother; a rookie cop determined to prove herself; and Alexis Cepeda, a promising lightweight who crossed the US-Mexico border when he was only fourteen, carrying with him a license bearing the wrong name and face.

Bobbing and weaving across the ever-shifting canvas of a changing country, The Slip is an audacious, daring look at sex and race in America that builds to an unforgettable collision in the center of the ring.

âA sprawling, unpredictable and hilarious masterpiece. Hell of a debut.â Zo« Foster Blake