2024 Booker Longlist: Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

by jenp27 on August 12, 2024

It’s time for our panel to start our journey through the Booker longlist books. The first book we have reviewed is the debut novel, Headshot, by Rita Bullwinkel.

Cover blurb: An unexpected tragedy at a community pool. A family’s unrelenting expectation of victory. The desire to gain or lose control; to make time speed up or stop; to be frighteningly, undeniably good at something. Each of the eight teenage girl boxers in this blistering debut novel has her own reasons for the sacrifices she has made to come to Reno, Nevada, to compete to be named the best in the country. Through a series of face-offs that are raw, ecstatic, and punctuated by flashes of humor and tenderness, prizewinning writer Rita Bullwinkelanimates the competitors’ pasts and futures as they summon the emotion, imagination, and force of will required to win.

Frenetic, surprising, and strikingly original, Headshot is a portrait of the desire, envy, perfectionism, madness, and sheer physical pleasure that motivate young women to fight—even, and perhaps especially, when no one else is watching.

You can purchase a copy of the book here

Keep reading to find out how our panellists rated this book.

Nicole’s Thoughts: This years Western Lane, though I enjoyed that book a lot more than Headshot so this will probably be shortlisted.

I was bored. to. tears. Had it been any longer, I wouldn’t have finished. I can appreciate the idea behind the book, but we had no character depth; no story; no strife, no denouement. It felt like reading resumes.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 3/5
Character development: 1/4
Plot development: 1/4
Overall enjoyment: 0/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? No. The structure was good but if you don’t do anything with the structure what good is it?
Total: 8/20

Jen’s Thoughts: I had a love-hate relationship with this book –or like-dislike since I never truly hated or loved any part. Initially, I was struck by the author’s ability to capture and describe women’s (in this case teenager’s) bodies and connect their appearance, physicality, and movement to their inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations. I appreciated that this novel felt very different in the way that women’s physicality, competitive drives and motivations were described. Unfortunately for me, the novelty wore off after a while and I couldn’t help but be bored by the repetitive nature of each subsequent fight. The book did make me reflect on its themes for some time after finishing, and there is value in that. Headshot reminded me of an art exhibit I saw recently that presented photo snapshots of women engaged in daily tasks. It was an exhibit that I enjoyed and reflected upon in the same way that I reflected about this book.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 3/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? Yes. I think it was an interesting concept and for that reason merits a spot.
Total: 13/20

Tracy’s Thoughts: I read this earlier this year, and really liked it. I did listen to it, and the narration added much more to the story. The concept was interesting, the writing style was different, and the author tackled some difficult topics. When I finished, I was pretty sure it would be on the long list.

Writing quality: 4/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Character development: 2/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? Yes. It’s an unusual book, that probably would have been more suited to the Women’s Prize, but it deserves prize recognition.
Total: 15.5/20

Lisa’s Thoughts: This novel is divided into sections, with each section focused on one fight between two girls. The omniscient narrator wanders in and out of the heads of the two girls and sometimes some of the spectators. I appreciated the formal challenge of what the author was trying to do here. She was really trying to be present in the ring with the girls, which also meant wandering into their past and futures. I also liked some of the imagery— e.g. when she talks about the stories of all the different girls being stacked up like CDs over the boxing ring. Unfortunately, the author did not live up to the difficult task she set for herself. I had a lot of trouble keeping track of the girls. There were eight of them, and their stories blurred together, and none of them really made a mark as a distinct personality. Maybe that was the point? I don’t know— even if it was the point, I did not like to struggle to remember who was who. So, ultimately, I did not enjoy the book very much.

Writing quality: 3/5
Originality: 5/5
Character development: 1/4
Plot development: 2/4
Overall enjoyment: 1/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? Probably not
Total: 12/20

Have you read this one? Let us know what you thought.

Our panel’s final rankings