Katie Kitamura, author of Gone to the Forest and the ’09 Discover pick The Longshot recommends 3 great reads.
5
1
Paperback(Original)
(Not eligible for purchase using B&N Audiobooks Subscription credits)
$14.99
-
PICK UP IN STORECheck Availability at Nearby Stores
Available within 2 business hours
Related collections and offers
14.99
In Stock
Overview
Abrilliant, spare debut novel that follows a former mixed martial arts star and his longtime coach over the course of three fraught days as they prepare for his momentous comeback match.
Four years after Rivera knocked Cal from dominance, Cal’s coach, Riley, has set up a rematch—it will be good for Cal, and he’s ready for it. He’s been training harder than ever, trying to shake the lethargy that’s plagued him ever since he lost. Knowing he’s going to face Rivera again, he gets his focus and energy back. He agrees with Riley: he’s ready.
But Rivera has never lost a fight, and in the final days before the match, both Cal and Riley secretly begin to doubt that he can be beaten now. The stakes are high for them—not only do they have no idea what else they’ll do with themselves besides MMA, they’re also desperate not to let each other down.
In taut, rhythmic language, Katie Kitamura—a journalist who has followed MMA for years—renders the urgency, discipline, and mutual affection of athlete and coach with depth and subtlety. As an excruciating tension builds toward the final electrifying scene, their plight becomes our plight, the looming fight becomes every challenge each of us has ever taken on, however uncertain the outcome.
This striking debut upholds a tradition of literary writing about gritty subject matter that includes Denis Johnson and Norman Mailer and goes back through Dos Passos, Steinbeck, and Hemingway. Fans of literary fiction will be drawn to The Finish’s stylized, sensitive portrait of two men striving to stay true to themselves and each other in the only way they know how.
Four years after Rivera knocked Cal from dominance, Cal’s coach, Riley, has set up a rematch—it will be good for Cal, and he’s ready for it. He’s been training harder than ever, trying to shake the lethargy that’s plagued him ever since he lost. Knowing he’s going to face Rivera again, he gets his focus and energy back. He agrees with Riley: he’s ready.
But Rivera has never lost a fight, and in the final days before the match, both Cal and Riley secretly begin to doubt that he can be beaten now. The stakes are high for them—not only do they have no idea what else they’ll do with themselves besides MMA, they’re also desperate not to let each other down.
In taut, rhythmic language, Katie Kitamura—a journalist who has followed MMA for years—renders the urgency, discipline, and mutual affection of athlete and coach with depth and subtlety. As an excruciating tension builds toward the final electrifying scene, their plight becomes our plight, the looming fight becomes every challenge each of us has ever taken on, however uncertain the outcome.
This striking debut upholds a tradition of literary writing about gritty subject matter that includes Denis Johnson and Norman Mailer and goes back through Dos Passos, Steinbeck, and Hemingway. Fans of literary fiction will be drawn to The Finish’s stylized, sensitive portrait of two men striving to stay true to themselves and each other in the only way they know how.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781439107522 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Free Press |
| Publication date: | 08/11/2009 |
| Edition description: | Original |
| Pages: | 208 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.56(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.58(d) |
About the Author
Katie Kitamura is based in New York. She has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times, Wired, and The Guardian, and is a regular contributor to Frieze.
Read an Excerpt
1
He stood just under six feet and he was cleanly proportioned. He'd been cleanly proportioned the day Riley met him and nothing about that had changed in the ten years since. He had soft eyes and an open face and that was the same too. He had changed in the body. His bones had hardened and he walked with the rolling gait of a fighter. Looking at him now, he couldn't be anything but. That was the biggest change.
They drove down to Tijuana three days before the fight. Riley knew a place where they could practice and the motels in Mexico were cheap. He figured they could do with an extra twenty-four hours getting used to the place. They left at ten. Cal fell asleep as soon as they hit the interstate. That was fine with Riley. He had his thermos of coffee, and there was the radio. As far as he was concerned, the more sleep Cal got the better.
He remembered they used to drive clear across the country, chasing down fights. He'd drive for hours with Cal sitting beside him like sleeping dynamite. It was a feeling. Driving into a fight with the win already in place. It made the drive easy. He'd drive and he'd watch the feeling spread out all around him. Like he had a million bucks riding with him in the car. That used to be the feeling of it.
That wasn't the feeling now, but he didn't mind. He looked out the window. There was nothing alongside the road except for gas stations and car dealerships and the occasional Best Value Motor Inn. Like all of America was about the driving. The road hardly swerved and the other cars were just coasting along. Riley kept at seventy. He didn't think he changed lanes once.
He drove until his back was sore and the car was running low on gas. He looked over at Cal. The kid was sleeping sound and he hated to wake him by stopping so he kept on driving for another twenty minutes. The landscape outside was flat and dry and scorched by the sun and the feeling, as he drove along in silence, was very gentle. The gas meter hit empty. Riley edged the Jeep over one lane and barreled down an exit ramp.
Cal woke as the car slowed. He sat, blinking slowly and staring out the window. Neither man spoke as Riley swung into a gas station and stopped before an empty pump. He switched the ignition off. The engine sputtered for a moment, then fell silent.
"Gas," Riley said. He looked at Cal. "And you should stretch your legs. Make sure you don't cramp up sleeping like that."
Cal nodded. They both got out of the car.
"Gotta take a leak," Cal said.
Riley nodded. He didn't look up. "Go ahead."
Riley stared at the ground as the tank filled. He listened to the gas glugging through. He listened to the numbers clicking.
"What kind of mileage you get with that thing?" Cal was back.
"Shit."
He clicked to an even thirty dollars. Then he dropped the nozzle into its stand. He screwed the gas cap back on and knocked the door shut.
Riley looked at Cal. He was leaning with one hand against the car. He was still yawning. He nodded to Riley.
"You have a good time in Vegas?"
"You know how it is. There were a couple good fights."
"I heard Vera looked good."
"He looked real good."
"How'd things go with Duane?"
"He got the win. We found a nice little weakness in Diego's game. You could tell from the tapes he dropped his right hand, so I told Duane to go out there and jab. Take him to pieces. It worked."
Cal nodded. He stared at the car, shifting his weight. Riley smiled.
"Come on. Let's get going."
"You need money?"
"Don't worry about it."
"I got money."
"I said, don't worry about it."
Cal got into the car. Riley followed him. They drove out. A couple seconds and they were back on the freeway. Riley flicked on the radio.
"You still listening to this crap?"
"Fuck off."
Cal grinned at Riley, then looked out the window. He sat with his hands resting on his legs and he watched the landscape flash by. Riley glanced out the window. He thought California looked pretty much the same, everywhere along the freeways. He looked at Cal. He was still staring out the window.
"Get some sleep."
Cal didn't respond. Riley looked at him again. "Get some sleep," he said. His voice was gentle. Cal nodded. He looked out the window a bit longer. Then he settled into his seat with his head pillowed against his arm. Pretty soon he was asleep again, breathing slow and regular. Riley sat back, satisfied. He continued driving south.
As they got closer to the border the color drained out. He never saw the color changing but it faded right in front of him. A couple more miles and the landscape emptied out too. The buildings disappeared and the overpasses vanished and it changed the proportions somehow. There was a lot more sky. Riley couldn't even see the road in front of him. All he could see was sky.
The radio crapped out just past San Diego. Then the signs started turning up. Signs selling car insurance. Signs selling bail bonds. Riley clocked them as he drove. They were like a countdown to the border. He drove past the signs advertising stateside parking and the ones advertising shuttles across the border. He saw a big board, written in capital letters. LAST EXIT USA. After that the road funneled into Mexico and the border hit him in the face.
The dirt jumped out. The people did too. The signs and the lights and everything else. Every time he crossed the border and dropped into Mexico he felt the difference right away. The crossing happened quick. The cars sped through on a six-lane road and they didn't even slow. There was nothing at the border stopping them. Border Patrol just sat in a bunch of black Jeeps and watched as the cars poured into the country.
Riley glanced out the window. There were people everywhere. He could see the vendors cluttering up the street selling ponchos and plastic figurines and bowls of fruit. They were scuttling around and they were hustling for their work. He didn't know what that said about Tijuana. He thought about Mexico and he thought about Tijuana and the two didn't seem the same. It was like staring at the border so long had made Tijuana different.
Cal was up again and looking around. He seemed restless after his sleep. He craned his neck to stare out the window. He fiddled with the lock on the door, tapping it with his fingers.
"So this is Tijuana."
"Yeah. This is Tijuana."
"You know your way around?"
"Sure. I've had a couple guys in fights down here."
"Good thing I got you around."
Riley glanced at him. "That a thank-you?"
Cal smiled. He shrugged. "Sure," he said. "Okay."
Riley shook his head. He concentrated on driving.
They turned down the Paseo de Los Heroes. There were a bunch of crazy monuments and a bunch of crazy roundabouts on the boulevard. Driving was a fucking nightmare. The street was packed with cars. Nobody stayed in their lane and anyway the lanes just disappeared at every roundabout. There was a roundabout every thirty seconds it felt like. Riley tightened his grip on the wheel and he jerked them down and around the road. His shoulders only dropped once they turned off the boulevard and cut down toward Agua Caliente.
One street over and the city looked totally different. The California license plates disappeared. The bars and clubs dropped out into tile shops and auto repair garages. The tourists never made it off Revolution Avenue. They never made it past the margarita bars and the donkey carts. Drive a couple blocks and Tijuana started looking like any other deadbeat town, just with everything written in Spanish and everybody driving a little bit more reckless.
They were staying at some motel a couple streets away from the Caliente, some place called the Playas. The promoters used it because it was close by, but Riley figured the place came with a warning. It came with words like "basic" and "convenient" and "local." Polite words telling them they were putting them up in some nameless dump. Well, he knew there wasn't any such thing as a luxury motel in Tijuana, and Riley wasn't the kind to fall for a name, but still — a Motel 6 would be nice. Some place with a 1-800 number you could call when your valuables went missing. He'd bet this Playas joint didn't even have an in-room safe.
He swung into the motel parking lot. He guessed the tourists were turning up everywhere nowadays. He could smell the crew cuts and the surfer shorts before he got out of the car. The paint was peeling and there was a balcony running down one side of the building and he could already imagine the kids congregating on it with their beers. He pictured beer cans floating in the pool out back. He pictured loud music. He pictured spring break — Riley snapped the ignition off. If there was noise late at night he was going to shut it down, and personally. Cal needed to sleep solid.
The place looked deserted when they walked in. There was a bell on the counter, and a sign reading "Please Ring For Service" in English and Spanish. The handwriting on the sign was a little wobbly but it was legible. Riley dropped his bags on the floor and looked at the bell. He slammed his palm onto the bell once, twice. He did it a third time.
After a minute, an overweight man appeared behind the registration desk. He was breathing heavy and his shirt was soaked in sweat. Riley frowned.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, we're staying for a few nights."
"You got a reservation?"
"We got a reservation. We're paying for the first night. The TFL's paying for the rest. They should've sent you a memo or something."
"Sure. Fill this out, will you?" He pushed a registration card across to Riley.
Riley leaned into the counter and began on the card. He wasn't so big anymore, but he was still pretty imposing. He was even more imposing when he wasn't feeling friendly, and the guy wasn't making him feel friendly.
The man remained placid. He looked at Riley. He looked at Cal. Riley straightened up and handed the card to the man.
"So," he said as he examined their registration card, "You boys are here for the fights I take it."
"Yeah, we're here for the fights," Riley said. "You follow fighting?"
"Hard not to when it's happening so close." He shrugged. "Should be a good night. Rivera alone is worth the price of admission. The rest of the card could be total shit and you'd still have a sellout."
Riley pressed a finger onto the registration card. "About that rate. I was given a quote of forty-six dollars. Nineteen dollars off the rack rate."
The man nodded. He examined the registration card. He put it back on the counter and crossed it with a pencil. He resumed talking.
"I wasn't a huge fan of fighting until the first time I saw Rivera fight. Blew my mind. Never seen anything like it. I figure every fight fan can remember their first Rivera fight."
Riley cleared his throat noisily. "Another thing. Can you get us a room that's quiet? As far away from the pool as possible." He nodded at Cal. "The kid needs to sleep."
The man shuffled round slowly and examined the keys hanging on the board behind the desk. He picked out a pair and turned back to face them. He nodded to Cal.
"You fighting Saturday?"
Cal nodded.
"Well, forget what I said about the rest of the card, will you? I haven't really looked at it yet. Not closely."
"That's okay," Cal said. "It doesn't matter."
He smiled at the man. The man beamed back at him.
"You know how it is. It's a pretty big thing, having the champion fight down here."
"Like you said. The guy's a legend."
"The man's the whole sport. Nobody can touch him."
"I guess not too many guys can give him a fight."
Riley glanced at Cal. "Look, we're sort of tired out from the drive. Maybe you could just confirm that rate of forty-six dollars a night, give us the keys and we'll let ourselves in? Like I said, forty-six dollars a night — nineteen dollars off the rack rate."
"Sí, sí." The man nodded. He came out from behind the desk and picked up Cal's bag.
"I'll take it," Cal said.
"No, please." The man shook his head and smiled and then began walking down the hall with the bag. They followed him. "This room is a good deal." The man spoke over his shoulder. "You will see. It is a nice room — with a balcony!"
Riley was frowning the whole walk up to the room. Cal just kept nodding every time the man said something.
The man let them into a room on the far end of the second floor. It wasn't so bad, and it was far away from the pool. Inside, there were two double beds, a couple of dressers and some chairs. The man gave them the key to the minibar and told them there was a decent restaurant next door where they could get breakfast. He told them to give him a call if they had any questions. He clapped Cal on the back and shook his hand. He wished him luck. Then he backed out of the room and disappeared.
"Sí, sí. Asshole speaks English better than I do." Riley dropped his bags onto one of the beds. "Why'd you talk to him like that? I couldn't pin him down on the rate with you being all friendly and making conversation." He kicked the door so it closed with a slam and starting unzipping his bags.
Cal looked at Riley's bags. "You didn't tell me you were moving down here."
"Smart-ass."
Cal looked around the room, then sat down on the other bed. Riley began sorting through his bags, pulling out piles of clothes and gear.
"I'm gonna have a shower."
"Okay."
Riley yanked out some shower things and threw them onto the bed. He hummed to himself, some tune from the radio. He paused and looked up at Cal.
"By the way — why didn't you tell him?"
"Tell him what?"
"That you were fighting Rivera."
"Oh," Cal said. "I don't know. I was embarrassed."
"Embarrassed? You?" Riley snorted.
"The guy thought he knew about fighting."
"He didn't know shit about fighting."
"He wanted to shake my hand," Cal said.
Riley waved a shampoo bottle at Cal. "Well, he's gonna feel like a real fucking idiot once he finds out who you are. The guy who took his boy Rivera the distance." He disappeared into the bathroom.
"That was four years ago," Cal called out after him. "Nobody remembers that shit anymore."
Riley slammed the bathroom door shut. Cal sighed. He stretched out on the bed, hands folded behind his head. He kept his eyes open and he listened to the sound of the showerhead. When Riley came out of the bathroom, he was in the same position, staring up at the ceiling.
Riley sat down on the bed. He looked at Cal as he toweled off his hair. "Well, here we are. Fuck of a drive."
"Yeah. You were right about getting it out of the way."
"What do you feel like eating?"
"I don't know."
"We could try the place next door. Might as well."
Cal nodded. Riley placed his hand on the bedside table, palm down. He cleared his throat and looked around the room.
"I guess it's not so bad. The room."
"It's pretty decent."
They were silent. Riley nodded to Cal.
"How you feeling? You looking forward to it?"
"Sure I'm looking forward to it."
"Well, it's just a little longer."
"Yeah." Cal sat up and ran a hand over his face. "Yeah." He stood up. "Okay. I'll shower, and then let's go eat. I'm feeling pretty hungry."
Riley nodded. He sat for a while after Cal went into the bathroom. Then he stood up and walked over to the window. He pushed the curtains back and stared outside. There was nothing to look at except the parking lot and the motel sign. The letters looked watery and they were blinking unevenly.
"Christ. I don't believe it," he said. "Our first night in Mexico and it's raining." Copyright © 2009 by Katie Kitamura
Reading Group Guide
This reading group guide for The Longshot includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Katie Kitamura. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
In The Longshot, Katie Kitamura tells the story of mixed martial arts fighter Cal and his trainer, Riley. Cal is on his way to a rematch with Rivera, a now legendary MMA fighter with whom Cal had a disastrous fight a few years earlier; a fight that doused the flame of passion Cal had for MMA fighting. Three years later, Cal and Riley respond to Rivera’s request for a rematch. For Cal, it presents an opportunity to get back in the ring with the person who made him question his love for fighting. For Riley, it gives Cal the chance to become the fighter he once was—a powerful, fast champion who could easily become the best in the MMA circuit.
Kitamura focuses on the electrifying days before the fight which find Cal and Riley traveling, training and traversing a number of obstacles, both physical and psychological. In a unique narrative form, Kitamura gives insight into both the minds of Riley and Cal, leaving us alone with each of them for a few minutes at a time. In doing so, readers feel like they are really there and share the anxiety and excitement of stepping back into the ring with Rivera for the fight.
Questions for Discussion
1. A number of times over the course of the story, a certain question comes up: What went wrong in that fateful fight between Cal and Rivera four years ago? Discuss Cal and Riley’s conflicting opinions on what actually happened. Who do you think is right?
2. Riley comments that in the beginning of Cal’s career, Cal got so used to winning that he just thought it was “the way it was.”(p. 16) How did that make losing to Rivera that much harder for him? Why has it taken him so long to get back into serious fighting?
3. What was the result of Murray and Rivera’s fight? Do you think Cal would rather follow in Murray’s footsteps than risk another defeat by Rivera? Why do you think he chooses to fight him again?
4. Cal and Riley each experience a fight-or-flight impulse during the twenty-four hours leading up to the fight. Why does each of them decide to stay? How do you think the novel would have turned out if one of them had fled? What would it have meant to the one who got left behind?
5. Discuss the dwindling of Riley’s optimism over the course of the book. What makes him realize that Cal should not go into the fight? Why does Riley shut his eyes and say, “Things would have to play out. There was no other way” (p. 150)? In your opinion, was there, in fact, another way?
6. What is Riley’s game plan for Cal’s fight with Rivera? Why do trainers create a game plan, and why does he think it will work? Does the strategy actually come into play during the real fight?
7. Discuss this statement: “The kid had everything a fighter needed and if he didn’t become champion then Riley would have no one to blame but himself” (p. 15). Why does Riley put so much pressure on himself to turn Cal into a champion? Do you think this blindly leads him into believing that Cal can win the rematch?
8. Even though he has never been knocked out, why do you think Cal “guessed he knew the feeling” (p. 23)? Why is it so important to Cal to remain standing in the final fight?
9. Having read Kitamura’s work, do you agree with her statement that “there was nothing simple about a fight” (p. 27)? Did The Longshot change your perspective on the world of mixed martial arts fighting, on the people involved in it, and on the fighting itself? Why or why not?
10. Do you agree with Kitamura’s assertion that “a fight was just a series of logical conclusions” (p.111)? If so, how do you feel about Cal’s claim that habit overrides fear, logic and need (p. 139)?
11. Do you think Cal dies at the end of the book? Why or why not?
12. The Longshot could have been a much longer story. Why do you think Kitamura chose to keep it short in length and free of much description? How does this choice affect the story’s impact? Does it make it more or less powerful? How so?
Enhancing Your Bookclub
1. Want to learn more about Mixed Martial Arts fighting? Visit http://www.mixedmartialarts.com.
2. Have a movie night with your bookclub and rent David Mamet’s latest movie, Redbelt, which focuses on a mixed martial arts fighter.
3. The present-day events in The Longshot take place in Tijuana and San Diego. If any of you have been to either city, describe it/them, and, if possible, describe the dramatic differences between them, and what those differences might mean about class and about the respective affluence of the United States and Mexico.
4. If your bookclub is up to it, watch an MMA fight on TV—or, better yet, take a trip to a live fight to experience it firsthand.
A Conversation with Katie Kitamura
1. How did you become interested in mixed martial arts fighting?
I was introduced to fighting by my older brother, a tattoo artist who is friendly with (and has done tattoos on) a number of fighters. The first fight I saw—the rematch, for those who follow the sport, between Mirko Filipovic and Kevin Randleman—set something off. In that fight, a powerful narrative was communicated in incredibly economical terms (forty-one seconds, for the record). And I was captivated by the physicality of the fighters, the stories that were evoked in their bodies and movements.
I think I pretty much knew immediately that I wanted to write something about fighting, and my brother was a great guide to the sport. We’ve been to fights around the world together, watched and rewatched our favorite fights, endlessly debated the strengths and weaknesses of individual fighters. We’re pretty extravagantly different; while I was studying for a Ph.D. in American literature he was busy establishing himself as one of the top tattoo artists in the world. But fighting is something we’re both completely passionate about. He’s now had the word LONGSHOT tattooed on his knuckles, and that’s the cover image for the book. So the whole thing has come full circle in a really wonderful way.
2. Where did the inspiration for Cal and Riley come from? Are they based on anyone that you know?
The individual fighting styles and physical descriptions of Cal, Rivera and Luis are based on fighters that I met while researching the book. It was very useful to have a visual image of the characters while I was writing—in an odd way it helped clarify for me what the characters would or wouldn’t do.
I didn’t have a specific model for Riley, but in a lot of ways his character emerged as a foil and partner to Cal, so once I had a sense of Cal, it was quite easy to write Riley’s character.
3. Much of the intensity and tempo of The Longshot stems from the fact that it takes place over the course of only a few days. Did you ever consider telling a longer, more drawn-out story? Why did you choose to write it the way you did?
I always wanted to make the book as taut as possible, both in terms of style and structure; I wanted it to come as close as possible to the rhythm and feel of an actual fight. The device of focusing on a fixed period of time was fairly integral to the way I thought about the book from the very beginning.
Having said that, I did at one point consider a radically different structure, whereby the book would be split into two parts. The first half would be told from Cal and Riley’s perspective, the second from Rivera’s. I went so far as to write out an entirely different second half for the book, but in the end it didn’t work.
4. Did you intentionally leave it ambiguous as to whether Cal dies at the end? To your mind, did he die?
For me, concretely speaking, he doesn’t die—but it has been a question for quite a few people, and I’m happy for it to be ambiguous.
5. The events at the end of The Longshot are seriously disappointing, if not outright devastating. Did you ever have an alternate ending in mind, wherein Cal won? Or did you know from the start that Rivera was going to win?
It was initially an open question, but the further I got into the writing of the book, the more it seemed apparent that Cal couldn’t win, although there were plenty of moments when I wished he could!
6. You have a particular perspective on the athlete/trainer relationship—you go so far as to write, “A trainer was supposed to protect his fighter. . . . That was the promise. That was what kept a fighter and a trainer together.” (p. 144) Have you ever had a close relationship with a trainer, coach, or teacher?
I trained pretty seriously in classical ballet when I was younger, and I think that ended up informing a lot of the book. The idea of physical strain and discipline, the question of how and when you leave that life behind—they’re things I’m familiar with on one level or another. And, of course, the relationship with a trainer. It’s a relationship that is built on expectation, which is necessary but also rather dangerous.
7. In your capacity as a journalist, you have spent time in the world of MMA, traveling to California and Japan to watch fights and interview fighters. What is it like to watch a fight live? What are the fighters like outside of the ring?
The experience of watching a fight live is extraordinary. I have to confess that I experience it as an extreme form of anxiety. I end up having a completely irrational, emotional stake in the outcome of a fight—in that sense, I’m a shameless fan.
In total contrast, I’m amazed by how relaxed the fighters themselves are before a fight. Outside the ring they are a disparate group, but on the whole I found them to be smart, funny and extremely generous. They were very open about their experiences, which was useful in researching the book.
8. Are there certain MMA fighters that you admire? If so, can you tell us a little bit about them?
I pretty much admire anybody who has the discipline and the will to make a career out of fighting. It takes buckets of nerve. What struck me most was the incredibly public nature of what they were doing. The first fight I saw live, the fighter I was shadowing lost in front of a crowd of forty thousand people. The scale of that is staggering to me. Undergoing that overlap between something very personal and something very public strikes me as both admirable and also somewhat terrifying.
9. Despite the dangers involved, have you ever thought of stepping into the ring yourself? Or are you more comfortable on the sidelines?
No, absolutely not. I’m not one to probe my limitations.
10. What is next for you?
I’m working on my next book, and researching fish farms.
Introduction
This reading group guide for The Longshot includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Katie Kitamura. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Introduction
In The Longshot, Katie Kitamura tells the story of mixed martial arts fighter Cal and his trainer, Riley. Cal is on his way to a rematch with Rivera, a now legendary MMA fighter with whom Cal had a disastrous fight a few years earlier; a fight that doused the flame of passion Cal had for MMA fighting. Three years later, Cal and Riley respond to Rivera's request for a rematch. For Cal, it presents an opportunity to get back in the ring with the person who made him question his love for fighting. For Riley, it gives Cal the chance to become the fighter he once was — a powerful, fast champion who could easily become the best in the MMA circuit.
Kitamura focuses on the electrifying days before the fight which find Cal and Riley traveling, training and traversing a number of obstacles, both physical and psychological. In a unique narrative form, Kitamura gives insight into both the minds of Riley and Cal, leaving us alone with each of them for a few minutes at a time. In doing so, readers feel like they are really there and share the anxiety and excitement of stepping back into the ring with Rivera for the fight.
Questions for Discussion
1. A number of times over the course of the story, a certain question comes up: What wentwrong in that fateful fight between Cal and Rivera four years ago? Discuss Cal and Riley's conflicting opinions on what actually happened. Who do you think is right?
2. Riley comments that in the beginning of Cal's career, Cal got so used to winning that he just thought it was "the way it was."(p. 16) How did that make losing to Rivera that much harder for him? Why has it taken him so long to get back into serious fighting?
3. What was the result of Murray and Rivera's fight? Do you think Cal would rather follow in Murray's footsteps than risk another defeat by Rivera? Why do you think he chooses to fight him again?
4. Cal and Riley each experience a fight-or-flight impulse during the twenty-four hours leading up to the fight. Why does each of them decide to stay? How do you think the novel would have turned out if one of them had fled? What would it have meant to the one who got left behind?
5. Discuss the dwindling of Riley's optimism over the course of the book. What makes him realize that Cal should not go into the fight? Why does Riley shut his eyes and say, "Things would have to play out. There was no other way" (p. 150)? In your opinion, was there, in fact, another way?
6. What is Riley's game plan for Cal's fight with Rivera? Why do trainers create a game plan, and why does he think it will work? Does the strategy actually come into play during the real fight?
7. Discuss this statement: "The kid had everything a fighter needed and if he didn't become champion then Riley would have no one to blame but himself" (p. 15). Why does Riley put so much pressure on himself to turn Cal into a champion? Do you think this blindly leads him into believing that Cal can win the rematch?
8. Even though he has never been knocked out, why do you think Cal "guessed he knew the feeling" (p. 23)? Why is it so important to Cal to remain standing in the final fight?
9. Having read Kitamura's work, do you agree with her statement that "there was nothing simple about a fight" (p. 27)? Did The Longshot change your perspective on the world of mixed martial arts fighting, on the people involved in it, and on the fighting itself? Why or why not?
10. Do you agree with Kitamura's assertion that "a fight was just a series of logical conclusions" (p.111)? If so, how do you feel about Cal's claim that habit overrides fear, logic and need (p. 139)?
11. Do you think Cal dies at the end of the book? Why or why not?
12. The Longshot could have been a much longer story. Why do you think Kitamura chose to keep it short in length and free of much description? How does this choice affect the story's impact? Does it make it more or less powerful? How so?
Enhancing Your Bookclub
1. Want to learn more about Mixed Martial Arts fighting? Visit http://www.mixedmartialarts.com.
2. Have a movie night with your bookclub and rent David Mamet's latest movie, Redbelt, which focuses on a mixed martial arts fighter.
3. The present-day events in The Longshot take place in Tijuana and San Diego. If any of you have been to either city, describe it/them, and, if possible, describe the dramatic differences between them, and what those differences might mean about class and about the respective affluence of the United States and Mexico.
4. If your bookclub is up to it, watch an MMA fight on TV — or, better yet, take a trip to a live fight to experience it firsthand.
A Conversation with Katie Kitamura
1. How did you become interested in mixed martial arts fighting?
I was introduced to fighting by my older brother, a tattoo artist who is friendly with (and has done tattoos on) a number of fighters. The first fight I saw — the rematch, for those who follow the sport, between Mirko Filipovic and Kevin Randleman — set something off. In that fight, a powerful narrative was communicated in incredibly economical terms (forty-one seconds, for the record). And I was captivated by the physicality of the fighters, the stories that were evoked in their bodies and movements.
I think I pretty much knew immediately that I wanted to write something about fighting, and my brother was a great guide to the sport. We've been to fights around the world together, watched and rewatched our favorite fights, endlessly debated the strengths and weaknesses of individual fighters. We're pretty extravagantly different; while I was studying for a Ph.D. in American literature he was busy establishing himself as one of the top tattoo artists in the world. But fighting is something we're both completely passionate about. He's now had the word LONGSHOT tattooed on his knuckles, and that's the cover image for the book. So the whole thing has come full circle in a really wonderful way.
2. Where did the inspiration for Cal and Riley come from? Are they based on anyone that you know?
The individual fighting styles and physical descriptions of Cal, Rivera and Luis are based on fighters that I met while researching the book. It was very useful to have a visual image of the characters while I was writing — in an odd way it helped clarify for me what the characters would or wouldn't do.
I didn't have a specific model for Riley, but in a lot of ways his character emerged as a foil and partner to Cal, so once I had a sense of Cal, it was quite easy to write Riley's character.
3. Much of the intensity and tempo of The Longshot stems from the fact that it takes place over the course of only a few days. Did you ever consider telling a longer, more drawn-out story? Why did you choose to write it the way you did?
I always wanted to make the book as taut as possible, both in terms of style and structure; I wanted it to come as close as possible to the rhythm and feel of an actual fight. The device of focusing on a fixed period of time was fairly integral to the way I thought about the book from the very beginning.
Having said that, I did at one point consider a radically different structure, whereby the book would be split into two parts. The first half would be told from Cal and Riley's perspective, the second from Rivera's. I went so far as to write out an entirely different second half for the book, but in the end it didn't work.
4. Did you intentionally leave it ambiguous as to whether Cal dies at the end? To your mind, did he die?
For me, concretely speaking, he doesn't die — but it has been a question for quite a few people, and I'm happy for it to be ambiguous.
5. The events at the end of The Longshot are seriously disappointing, if not outright devastating. Did you ever have an alternate ending in mind, wherein Cal won? Or did you know from the start that Rivera was going to win?
It was initially an open question, but the further I got into the writing of the book, the more it seemed apparent that Cal couldn't win, although there were plenty of moments when I wished he could!
6. You have a particular perspective on the athlete/trainer relationship — you go so far as to write, "A trainer was supposed to protect his fighter.... That was the promise. That was what kept a fighter and a trainer together." (p. 144) Have you ever had a close relationship with a trainer, coach, or teacher?
I trained pretty seriously in classical ballet when I was younger, and I think that ended up informing a lot of the book. The idea of physical strain and discipline, the question of how and when you leave that life behind — they're things I'm familiar with on one level or another. And, of course, the relationship with a trainer. It's a relationship that is built on expectation, which is necessary but also rather dangerous.
7. In your capacity as a journalist, you have spent time in the world of MMA, traveling to California and Japan to watch fights and interview fighters. What is it like to watch a fight live? What are the fighters like outside of the ring?
The experience of watching a fight live is extraordinary. I have to confess that I experience it as an extreme form of anxiety. I end up having a completely irrational, emotional stake in the outcome of a fight — in that sense, I'm a shameless fan.
In total contrast, I'm amazed by how relaxed the fighters themselves are before a fight. Outside the ring they are a disparate group, but on the whole I found them to be smart, funny and extremely generous. They were very open about their experiences, which was useful in researching the book.
8. Are there certain MMA fighters that you admire? If so, can you tell us a little bit about them?
I pretty much admire anybody who has the discipline and the will to make a career out of fighting. It takes buckets of nerve. What struck me most was the incredibly public nature of what they were doing. The first fight I saw live, the fighter I was shadowing lost in front of a crowd of forty thousand people. The scale of that is staggering to me. Undergoing that overlap between something very personal and something very public strikes me as both admirable and also somewhat terrifying.
9. Despite the dangers involved, have you ever thought of stepping into the ring yourself? Or are you more comfortable on the sidelines?
No, absolutely not. I'm not one to probe my limitations.
10. What is next for you?
I'm working on my next book, and researching fish farms.
From the B&N Reads Blog
Page 1 of