Headshot

by Rita Bullwinkel

1 minute read

These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.

Rita Bullwinkel’s bold debut novel, Headshot, takes readers inside a run-down boxing ring in Reno, Nev., where eight young women compete for the Daughters of America Cup. Each chapter focuses on an individual fight taking place across the sparsely attended two-day tournament, leading up to the championship match. Bullwinkel’s follow-up to her 2016 short story collection, Belly Up, also spans space and time thanks to an omniscient narrator, who, along with ringside commentary, offers insight into the pasts and futures of these hard-scrabble teen fighters. What becomes clear is that there is nothing more agonizing than female adolescence—not even a well-timed left hook.

Buy Now: Headshot on Bookshop | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

More Must-Reads from TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com