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Fighter [Hardcover]

Craig Davidson (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)


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Book Description

July 1, 2007
“Fans of Palahniuk and Irvine Welsh will relish the graphic fight sequences and gritty social commentary.”—Rocky Mountain News

“How to Allocate Your Free Time This Month[:] Devouring Craig Davidson’s gruesome debut novel, The Fighter.”—Esquire

“This is more than a stunning debut. It reminds me how vacuous, banal and insipid most highly-touted fiction is. Craig Davidson asks—and answers—some big, uncomfortable questions about the nature of our humanity. The Fighter is an essential novel, destined for cult status at the very least.”—Irvine Welsh

“While the novel’s brutal fights will entice readers of other virile allegories like Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, Davidson’s story takes a more nuanced, realistic approach.”—Kirkus Reviews

Everything has been handed to Paul Harris, the son of a wealthy southern Ontario businessman. But after a vicious beating shakes his world, he descends into the realm of hardcore bodybuilders and boxing gyms, seeking to become a real man, reveling in suffering.

Rob Tully, a working-class teenager from upstate New York, is a born boxer. He trains with his father and uncle, who believe a gift like his can change their lives, but he struggles under the weight of their expectations. Inevitably, these two young men’s paths will cross.

Craig Davidson was born in Toronto and now lives in Calgary, Alberta. He is the author of the acclaimed short story collection Rust and Bone, which was published by W.W. Norton in the United States, Penguin in Canada, Albin Michel in France, and Picador in the United Kingdom.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two young men heading in opposite directions find their destinies linked by violence in Davidson's dripping-with-testosterone debut novel (following story collection Rust and Bone). After he gets beat up at a bar, Paul Harris questions his coddled, trouble-free life and embraces obsessive workout routines and steroids before finding boxing, the perfect outlet for his newfound rage. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Rob Tully is a boxing star in training on the path to a Golden Gloves tournament. Paul seeks to embrace his new self through the grandeur and punishment of boxing, while Rob struggles to find himself by escaping from that very same world. Their paths cross when Paul fights Rob's uncle in an underground match, and odds-on loser Paul wins, at a big price. Davidson's writing is terse, coarse and fluid in descriptions of exposed viscera, splattered blood and broken bones. There's an unmistakable Palahniuk influence at work. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Davidson's debut tells the inevitably interwining tale of two boxers, Paul Harris and Rob Tully. Rob is a promising amateur who boxes because he has to. Paul, the son of Ontario winery owners who find him utterly baffling, seems to fight because he enjoys getting hurt. The opening scene follows a fighter preparing for a grotesquely cruel Thai boxing match. Davidson's detailed descriptions of the scars and disfigurements are delivered with such power and clarity that it's worth the price of admission. The rest of the book is spent finding out which of these young men is destined for this awful fate. Before we get to the predictable battle between the two fighters, there are some interestingly gritty moments, but as a whole, the story veers too often into a sentimental sweetness, particularly when Rob and Paul talk to the women in their lives. Think Chuck Palahniuk—with a dash of Nora Roberts. Still, Davidson is inarguably talented, and for all its flaws, this is a memorable and moving first novel. Green, John

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Soho Press (July 1, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1569474656
  • ISBN-13: 978-1569474655
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,595,356 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a Metrosexual's Nightmare, August 3, 2007
This review is from: Fighter (Hardcover)
Superb, well-constructed and well-written story. Underlying themes clearly reminded me of Palahniuk's Fight Club. (However, this is no imitation.) There is a subtle complexity to the characters that keeps the reader off balance throughout and unable to predict the book's outcome. I can't remember another book where I found myself to be laughing one paragraph, and recoiling the next. This book would make a great, (albeit gruesome) movie. Excellent effort.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Hard Fought Book, November 5, 2007
By 
This review is from: Fighter (Hardcover)
As stated in previous reviews, fans of Fight Club and Chuck Palahniuk will like this story. With that being said, nothing too terribly original here but nonetheless an exciting and very entertaining read.

The story moves quickly and smoothly but at the same time not losing it's underlining theme of self realization and what it means to find one's true calling in life. "Are we products of our upbringings and/or our environment or can one "fight" his way out of this mold and find his true being?" This general question along with some extremely gritty and action packed fight scenes make this a gripping and meaningful read.

There was good character development and acute attention to the bare-knuckle/street fight scenes. The main character roughing up a paintball opponent was hilarious but a very brutal scene that one can picture themselves in. Warning: this book is not for the squeamish. But to show some depth and transition, the author jabs in some darkly funny quotes and stories that help relay the theme but in a different shed of light.

This is definitely a raucous weekend read that will have you have you saying/thinking "I didn't hear no bell ring" a-la Rocky V.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Billy Wannyn says The Fighter, February 21, 2011
This review is from: Fighter (Paperback)
Superb, well-constructed and well-written story. Underlying themes clearly reminded me of Fight Club. (However, this is no imitation.) There is a subtle complexity to the characters that keeps the reader off balance throughout and unable to predict the book's outcome. I can't remember another book where I found myself to be laughing one paragraph, Billy Wannyn thumbs up!!!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
gym bums, punch mitts
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Fritzie Zivic, Paul Harris, Tom Tully, Top Rank, Jack Harris, Old Rob, New York, Green Machine, Lake Ontario, Niagara Falls, Reuben Tully, Drake Langley, Garth Briscoe, Robert Tully, Socialite Barb, Darren Gregory, Madison Square Garden, Ray Bans, Rex Appleby, Wonder Bread, Caleb Kilbride, Lou Cobb, Love Canal, Niagara River, Niagara Street
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