Carrie Soto has been coached by her father from her childhood to be a winner at tennis, partly because she has a natural talent, inherited from him, but also to help them both cope with the unexpected death of her mother. By the time she retires from the sport she holds several sporting records, including that of most Slam wins, and is considered a sporting legend. When another tennis player looks set to break that record, years later, Carrie announces her comeback. But in risking everything, is she making a terrible mistake?
Carrie Soto is Back is an immersive, gripping story, showing how brutal professional tennis can be, especially when you're no longer young and fit, and reveals the kind of person you need to be, psychologically, to win. (I love how Bowe tries to explain it as 'Self One' vs 'Self Two'.) The story follows Carrie's progress through each slam event: The Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and, finally, the US Open. Has she been arrogant to believe she can just swan in at the same level of fitness, with everyone waiting for her to fail?
Carrie has a consuming need to be the best; failure is not an option - something her friend Bowe can't understand. He's kept going through alcoholism and injury, why did Carrie retire in the first place? She lost a couple of matches? Big deal. Her father believes tennis is a beautiful game and that she should concentrate on enjoying herself - win or lose - but is he being naïve?
Carrie Soto is Back has some very wise words to say on the business of winning and losing (and of taking part!) that can be applied to all areas of life. Like Daisy Jones and the Six this is a very immersive novel, with lots of tennis! Would suit fans of the film King Richard and sport-themed novels like Midnight in the Snow (Karen Swan). I loved it! One of my favourite reads this year.
Thank you to Taylor Jenkins Reid and Cornerstone/Random House/Penguin for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.
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