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The Slip
For readers of Jonathan Franzen and Nathan Hill comes a haymaker of an American novel about a missing teenage boy, cases of fluid and mistaken identity, and the transformative power of boxing.
Austin, It’s the summer of 1998, and there’s a new face on the scene at Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym. Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein has never felt comfortable in his own skin, but under the tutelage of a swaggering, Haitian-born ex-fighter named David Dalice, he begins to come into his own. Even the boy’s slightly-stoned uncle, Bob Alexander, who is supposed to be watching him for the summer, notices the change. Nathaniel is happier, more confident—tanner, even. Then one night he vanishes, leaving little trace behind.
Across the city, Charles Rex, now going simply by “X,” has been undergoing a teenage transformation of his own, trolling the phone sex hotline that his mother works, seeking an outlet for everything that feels wrong about his body, looking for intimacy and acceptance in a culture that denies him both. As a surprising and unlikely romance blooms, X feels, for a moment, like he might have found the safety he’s been searching for. But it's never that simple.
More than a decade later, Nathaniel’s uncle Bob receives a shocking tip, propelling him to open his own investigation into his nephew’s disappearance. The resulting search involves gymgoers past and present, including a down-on-his-luck twin and his opportunistic brother; a rookie cop determined to prove herself; and Alexis Cepeda, a promising lightweight, who crossed the US-Mexico border when he was only fourteen, carrying with him a license bearing the wrong name and face.
Bobbing and weaving across the ever-shifting canvas of a changing country, The Slip is an audacious, daring look at sex and race in America that builds to an unforgettable collision in the center of the ring.
Austin, It’s the summer of 1998, and there’s a new face on the scene at Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym. Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein has never felt comfortable in his own skin, but under the tutelage of a swaggering, Haitian-born ex-fighter named David Dalice, he begins to come into his own. Even the boy’s slightly-stoned uncle, Bob Alexander, who is supposed to be watching him for the summer, notices the change. Nathaniel is happier, more confident—tanner, even. Then one night he vanishes, leaving little trace behind.
Across the city, Charles Rex, now going simply by “X,” has been undergoing a teenage transformation of his own, trolling the phone sex hotline that his mother works, seeking an outlet for everything that feels wrong about his body, looking for intimacy and acceptance in a culture that denies him both. As a surprising and unlikely romance blooms, X feels, for a moment, like he might have found the safety he’s been searching for. But it's never that simple.
More than a decade later, Nathaniel’s uncle Bob receives a shocking tip, propelling him to open his own investigation into his nephew’s disappearance. The resulting search involves gymgoers past and present, including a down-on-his-luck twin and his opportunistic brother; a rookie cop determined to prove herself; and Alexis Cepeda, a promising lightweight, who crossed the US-Mexico border when he was only fourteen, carrying with him a license bearing the wrong name and face.
Bobbing and weaving across the ever-shifting canvas of a changing country, The Slip is an audacious, daring look at sex and race in America that builds to an unforgettable collision in the center of the ring.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2025
159 people are currently reading
14061 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
May 30, 2025
And in this corner, weighing in at 487 pages, fighting out of Austin, against books far above its weight class — a novel making a worldwide debut: “The Slip,” by Lucas Schaefer.
(Pause for wild cheering.)
Here’s a novel so pumped up and shredded it can’t possibly sit still on a shelf. Long before its official release on June 3, “The Slip” was already bouncing down the ramp with both fists punching the air. I spent most of the week not just reading this story but cheering it on in a state of unhinged excitement.
Although ostensibly centered on boxing, the ring isn’t the circumference of the plot. Indeed, so much is packed in that “The Slip” feels more like a three-ring circus than a 12-round match. If you like your fiction neat and ruminative, stay away from this sweaty, outrageous book.
At the starting bell, a brief newspaper clipping announces that Nathaniel Rothstein is still missing after 10 years.
Jump back to 1998: A troubled 16-year-old Jewish kid from a Boston suburb arrives in Austin to spend the summer with his Uncle Bob, a history professor at the University of Texas. Nathaniel had gotten into a brutal altercation at school, and his mom hopes a change of venue might be good for him. Uncle Bob thinks the boy — “a schlemiel of the first order” — needs structure and a place to blow off some steam. Fortunately, he knows a guy, David, one of his buddies from Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym, where everybody is....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
(Pause for wild cheering.)
Here’s a novel so pumped up and shredded it can’t possibly sit still on a shelf. Long before its official release on June 3, “The Slip” was already bouncing down the ramp with both fists punching the air. I spent most of the week not just reading this story but cheering it on in a state of unhinged excitement.
Although ostensibly centered on boxing, the ring isn’t the circumference of the plot. Indeed, so much is packed in that “The Slip” feels more like a three-ring circus than a 12-round match. If you like your fiction neat and ruminative, stay away from this sweaty, outrageous book.
At the starting bell, a brief newspaper clipping announces that Nathaniel Rothstein is still missing after 10 years.
Jump back to 1998: A troubled 16-year-old Jewish kid from a Boston suburb arrives in Austin to spend the summer with his Uncle Bob, a history professor at the University of Texas. Nathaniel had gotten into a brutal altercation at school, and his mom hopes a change of venue might be good for him. Uncle Bob thinks the boy — “a schlemiel of the first order” — needs structure and a place to blow off some steam. Fortunately, he knows a guy, David, one of his buddies from Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym, where everybody is....
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
June 12, 2025
This book completely caught me off guard in so many ways and I loved every second of it. How is this a debut novel? Written with a pen much more mature than you would expect for a freshman release, you will never forget the characters in this novel for good reason.
Wht is sort of dressed up as a novel about boxing (even the front cover gives homage to this sport) is far more than you will ever imagine. We have a missing teen story that gets seemingly more wild as the onion is peeled and your eyes will sting along the journey, you have my promise. The ending was not something I saw coming from even a yard away and I am hooked on Lucas' writing, fan for life off this first spin.
I loved that he hit on poignant political issues without suffocating the reader. So many times there are books that hide big feelings deep within the page and can often sour the overall novel but this was a very tempered delivery that felt just right. Overall this novel hits on queerness in a special way and immigration in a manner that feels real for the moment. Lucas uses humor to add levity to difficult situations but you can sense his belief structure through the pages and I greatly appreciated his approach.
So what is so great about this novel? It's funny. It's different. In many ways this feels like a "first of" in the manner of our great modern day long winded familial-centric story tellers like or crime centric authors like with the quick wit of an author like . And it's story felt raw, relatable in many ways, whether from the eyes of an aging man desperate to find his lost nephew or the yearning disillusionment of a young queer man. I loved getting to know the sub characters who live within the retirement home and the mother of X who's story at first glance may feel meaningless but comes to light as the book concludes. There were so many rabbit holes he takes the reader on that could feel pointless but alas, were calculated with great concern and ultimately lead to a sprawling epic just under 500 pages long.
Well worth the journey and will be atop my end of year reads without a doubt. Read It!
Wht is sort of dressed up as a novel about boxing (even the front cover gives homage to this sport) is far more than you will ever imagine. We have a missing teen story that gets seemingly more wild as the onion is peeled and your eyes will sting along the journey, you have my promise. The ending was not something I saw coming from even a yard away and I am hooked on Lucas' writing, fan for life off this first spin.
I loved that he hit on poignant political issues without suffocating the reader. So many times there are books that hide big feelings deep within the page and can often sour the overall novel but this was a very tempered delivery that felt just right. Overall this novel hits on queerness in a special way and immigration in a manner that feels real for the moment. Lucas uses humor to add levity to difficult situations but you can sense his belief structure through the pages and I greatly appreciated his approach.
So what is so great about this novel? It's funny. It's different. In many ways this feels like a "first of" in the manner of our great modern day long winded familial-centric story tellers like or crime centric authors like with the quick wit of an author like . And it's story felt raw, relatable in many ways, whether from the eyes of an aging man desperate to find his lost nephew or the yearning disillusionment of a young queer man. I loved getting to know the sub characters who live within the retirement home and the mother of X who's story at first glance may feel meaningless but comes to light as the book concludes. There were so many rabbit holes he takes the reader on that could feel pointless but alas, were calculated with great concern and ultimately lead to a sprawling epic just under 500 pages long.
Well worth the journey and will be atop my end of year reads without a doubt. Read It!
May 1, 2025
The Slip is Jonathan Franzen's "Crossroads" meets James McBride's "Deacon King Kong"—a literary, historical fiction with hints of mystery and humor. Lucas Schaefer has crafted a story unlike anything I’ve read in years.
Set in the summer of 1998 and the years that follow, the novel follows sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein, who finds confidence and happiness under the mentorship of ex-fighter David Dalice at Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym in Austin, Texas, only to mysteriously vanish one night. Meanwhile, Charles Rex, known as "X," seeks acceptance through a phone sex hotline, experiencing a fleeting romance. Over a decade later, Nathaniel's uncle Bob Alexander, driven by a tip, launches an investigation into his nephew's disappearance, involving various gymgoers, a rookie cop, and Alexis Cepeda, a promising lightweight boxer who crossed the US-Mexico border with a false identity.
As someone who has taken up boxing in the last few months, I was immediately drawn to The Slip. Lucas Schaefer has clearly done his homework on the techniques and the community behind boxing, and I absolutely loved it.
More importantly, I was captivated by this world, the characters, and their rich backgrounds (hopes, dreams, desires). Spending time with these fully realized individuals was a delight. Even the minor, background players are full of life and endearing to follow, including Dr. Gloria Abruzzi, whose chapter perfectly exemplifies this novel’s balance between humor and heartbreak. Another near the end is a “what if” scenario that had me close to tears, hopeful it was real and not just theoretical.
What I loved about this book also contributed to my main issue, however. As the story progresses towards the conclusion, it feels like some sections overstay their welcome. I felt it the most in parts that reiterated details from a different perspective. Of course, in a story like this, different viewpoints help paint the full picture. But, it ultimately impacted my enjoyment, especially as I tried to figure out what happened to Nathaniel. Even when it felt like it was dragging on and more characters were added to the plot, it never felt like padding or filler.
The Slip is a near masterpiece—tender, joyful, and heartbreaking. It also comes at a time when stories about queer characters are much needed. Bravo, Lucas Schaefer. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.
Set in the summer of 1998 and the years that follow, the novel follows sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein, who finds confidence and happiness under the mentorship of ex-fighter David Dalice at Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym in Austin, Texas, only to mysteriously vanish one night. Meanwhile, Charles Rex, known as "X," seeks acceptance through a phone sex hotline, experiencing a fleeting romance. Over a decade later, Nathaniel's uncle Bob Alexander, driven by a tip, launches an investigation into his nephew's disappearance, involving various gymgoers, a rookie cop, and Alexis Cepeda, a promising lightweight boxer who crossed the US-Mexico border with a false identity.
As someone who has taken up boxing in the last few months, I was immediately drawn to The Slip. Lucas Schaefer has clearly done his homework on the techniques and the community behind boxing, and I absolutely loved it.
More importantly, I was captivated by this world, the characters, and their rich backgrounds (hopes, dreams, desires). Spending time with these fully realized individuals was a delight. Even the minor, background players are full of life and endearing to follow, including Dr. Gloria Abruzzi, whose chapter perfectly exemplifies this novel’s balance between humor and heartbreak. Another near the end is a “what if” scenario that had me close to tears, hopeful it was real and not just theoretical.
What I loved about this book also contributed to my main issue, however. As the story progresses towards the conclusion, it feels like some sections overstay their welcome. I felt it the most in parts that reiterated details from a different perspective. Of course, in a story like this, different viewpoints help paint the full picture. But, it ultimately impacted my enjoyment, especially as I tried to figure out what happened to Nathaniel. Even when it felt like it was dragging on and more characters were added to the plot, it never felt like padding or filler.
The Slip is a near masterpiece—tender, joyful, and heartbreaking. It also comes at a time when stories about queer characters are much needed. Bravo, Lucas Schaefer. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.
Read
May 17, 2025As Austin, Texas, steps into its place in the national zeitgeist, more and more contemporary writers have tried to capture its unique spirit, to varying degrees of success. So when a novel set in Austin with such an unusual plot and cast of characters starts to earn literary buzz months out from publication—and it also happens to be written by a Texas Ex—I’m going to take notice.
Lucas Schaefer’s debut novel, out June 3, centers on Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym, a meeting place for every facet of the city’s identity. Across the decades, gymgoers past and present (along with one missing person) tell an indelible story of race and sex in America.
Full review and Q&A forthcoming in the July|August issue of the
Lucas Schaefer’s debut novel, out June 3, centers on Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym, a meeting place for every facet of the city’s identity. Across the decades, gymgoers past and present (along with one missing person) tell an indelible story of race and sex in America.
Full review and Q&A forthcoming in the July|August issue of the
June 13, 2025
It’s been ten years since Nathaniel Rothstein went missing, in the summer of 1998. Nobody knows what happened to him…or do they?
The Slip is a propulsive character study, moving the narrative along through time spent with the people who may or may not be aware of the part that they played in Nathan’s disappearance. The mystery unravels a little more with every person we meet, though by the end I found myself unsure of if anyone was truly blameless.
It’s an ambitious novel—one which left me with a lot to think about!
The Slip is a propulsive character study, moving the narrative along through time spent with the people who may or may not be aware of the part that they played in Nathan’s disappearance. The mystery unravels a little more with every person we meet, though by the end I found myself unsure of if anyone was truly blameless.
It’s an ambitious novel—one which left me with a lot to think about!
June 17, 2025
Lucas Schaefer's debut novel, The Slip, arrives with the force of a perfectly timed left hook—unexpected, devastating, and impossible to forget. Set against the sweltering backdrop of Austin, Texas in 1998, this ambitious work weaves together multiple narratives of identity, transformation, and belonging in a way that feels both achingly familiar and startlingly fresh.
At its heart, The Slip is a boxing novel that uses the sport as both literal setting and metaphor for the bruising process of becoming oneself. Schaefer demonstrates remarkable skill in balancing multiple storylines across different time periods, creating a complex tapestry that examines how we construct and reconstruct our identities in a world that often refuses to see us as we truly are.
The Art of Character Construction
The novel's greatest strength lies in its nuanced character development, particularly in how Schaefer handles the delicate subject matter of racial and gender identity. Nathaniel Rothstein, the sixteen-year-old protagonist whose summer transformation sets the entire plot in motion, is rendered with startling authenticity. His journey from awkward, "doughy" teenager to someone more confident—and eventually someone else entirely—unfolds with careful psychological precision.
Schaefer's portrayal of Nathaniel's gradual physical transformation through tanning and his adoption of a different racial identity during phone sex calls could have easily veered into exploitative territory. Instead, the author treats this controversial premise with remarkable sensitivity, using it to explore broader themes about identity performance, self-discovery, and the arbitrary nature of racial categories in American society.
Charles Rex, going by "X," emerges as perhaps the most compelling character in the novel. Schaefer's depiction of X's gender dysphoria and sexual awakening in pre-internet 1998 Austin feels both historically accurate and deeply empathetic. The scenes where X performs as "Sasha Semyonova" on the phone sex line are written with such insight that they transcend mere plot device to become profound meditations on authenticity and self-actualization.
Masterful Structure and Narrative Technique
The Slip employs a complex temporal structure that jumps between 1998 and 2014, gradually revealing how past events continue to shape present realities. This narrative choice proves particularly effective as Schaefer slowly unveils the mystery of Nathaniel's disappearance while simultaneously exploring its long-term consequences on characters like Bob Alexander, David Dalice, and the boxing gym community.
The author's decision to use second-person narration in certain sections—particularly those set in the Haitian detention facility—adds an experimental edge that elevates the novel beyond conventional literary fiction. These passages create an immediacy and universality that suggests the experiences described could happen to anyone, anywhere.
Schaefer's prose style adapts fluidly to match the consciousness of different characters. When writing from Nathaniel's perspective, the language becomes more hesitant and introspective, while X's sections pulse with nervous energy and searching questions. David Dalice's chapters carry the weight of immigrant experience and working-class pragmatism.
Wrestling with Complex Themes
Identity and Performance
The novel's central preoccupation with identity performance resonates strongly in our current cultural moment. Schaefer examines how identity can be both fixed and fluid, exploring the ways characters slip between different versions of themselves. The boxing gym becomes a space where these transformations can occur—where David can be both mentor and manipulator, where Nathaniel can discover physical confidence, where X can find community.
Race and Privilege
The Slip tackles the thorny issue of racial identity with impressive nuance. Rather than simply condemning Nathaniel's appropriation of Blackness, Schaefer uses it to examine the arbitrary nature of racial categories while never losing sight of the real social and economic consequences of race in America. The novel's treatment of immigration through Alexis Cepeda's story and the Haitian detention facility scenes adds additional layers to this exploration.
Gender and Sexuality
X's storyline provides the novel's most emotionally resonant thread. Schaefer captures the confusion, fear, and occasional joy of discovering one's gender identity in an era when language and community for such experiences were scarce. The relationship between X and Jesse Filkins is particularly well-rendered, showing how desire and shame can intertwine in damaging ways.
Minor Shortcomings
While The Slip succeeds brilliantly in most areas, it occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own ambitions. Some of the secondary characters, particularly certain boxing gym regulars, feel underdeveloped compared to the rich psychological portraits of the main protagonists. The novel's complex timeline occasionally creates confusion, particularly in the middle sections where past and present events blur together.
Additionally, while Schaefer generally handles sensitive material with care, some readers may find certain scenes—particularly those involving Nathaniel's racial transformation—uncomfortable regardless of the author's clear intentions to critique rather than celebrate such behavior.
Final Verdict
The Slip announces Lucas Schaefer as a major new talent in American fiction. This is a novel that takes significant risks—in its subject matter, its structure, and its willingness to engage with controversial topics—and largely succeeds in ways that feel both artistically satisfying and socially relevant.
While the novel deals with heavy themes, Schaefer infuses the narrative with moments of genuine humor and tenderness. The relationships between characters feel authentic, even when they're built on deception or misunderstanding. Most importantly, the author never loses sight of the humanity in each character, even when depicting their worst impulses.
The Slip is the rare debut novel that feels both fully formed and promising of even greater things to come. It's a book that will likely generate significant discussion and debate—always the mark of important literature. Schaefer has created a work that honors the complexity of identity formation while telling a gripping story about community, belonging, and the prices we pay for transformation.
At its heart, The Slip is a boxing novel that uses the sport as both literal setting and metaphor for the bruising process of becoming oneself. Schaefer demonstrates remarkable skill in balancing multiple storylines across different time periods, creating a complex tapestry that examines how we construct and reconstruct our identities in a world that often refuses to see us as we truly are.
The Art of Character Construction
The novel's greatest strength lies in its nuanced character development, particularly in how Schaefer handles the delicate subject matter of racial and gender identity. Nathaniel Rothstein, the sixteen-year-old protagonist whose summer transformation sets the entire plot in motion, is rendered with startling authenticity. His journey from awkward, "doughy" teenager to someone more confident—and eventually someone else entirely—unfolds with careful psychological precision.
Schaefer's portrayal of Nathaniel's gradual physical transformation through tanning and his adoption of a different racial identity during phone sex calls could have easily veered into exploitative territory. Instead, the author treats this controversial premise with remarkable sensitivity, using it to explore broader themes about identity performance, self-discovery, and the arbitrary nature of racial categories in American society.
Charles Rex, going by "X," emerges as perhaps the most compelling character in the novel. Schaefer's depiction of X's gender dysphoria and sexual awakening in pre-internet 1998 Austin feels both historically accurate and deeply empathetic. The scenes where X performs as "Sasha Semyonova" on the phone sex line are written with such insight that they transcend mere plot device to become profound meditations on authenticity and self-actualization.
Masterful Structure and Narrative Technique
The Slip employs a complex temporal structure that jumps between 1998 and 2014, gradually revealing how past events continue to shape present realities. This narrative choice proves particularly effective as Schaefer slowly unveils the mystery of Nathaniel's disappearance while simultaneously exploring its long-term consequences on characters like Bob Alexander, David Dalice, and the boxing gym community.
The author's decision to use second-person narration in certain sections—particularly those set in the Haitian detention facility—adds an experimental edge that elevates the novel beyond conventional literary fiction. These passages create an immediacy and universality that suggests the experiences described could happen to anyone, anywhere.
Schaefer's prose style adapts fluidly to match the consciousness of different characters. When writing from Nathaniel's perspective, the language becomes more hesitant and introspective, while X's sections pulse with nervous energy and searching questions. David Dalice's chapters carry the weight of immigrant experience and working-class pragmatism.
Wrestling with Complex Themes
Identity and Performance
The novel's central preoccupation with identity performance resonates strongly in our current cultural moment. Schaefer examines how identity can be both fixed and fluid, exploring the ways characters slip between different versions of themselves. The boxing gym becomes a space where these transformations can occur—where David can be both mentor and manipulator, where Nathaniel can discover physical confidence, where X can find community.
Race and Privilege
The Slip tackles the thorny issue of racial identity with impressive nuance. Rather than simply condemning Nathaniel's appropriation of Blackness, Schaefer uses it to examine the arbitrary nature of racial categories while never losing sight of the real social and economic consequences of race in America. The novel's treatment of immigration through Alexis Cepeda's story and the Haitian detention facility scenes adds additional layers to this exploration.
Gender and Sexuality
X's storyline provides the novel's most emotionally resonant thread. Schaefer captures the confusion, fear, and occasional joy of discovering one's gender identity in an era when language and community for such experiences were scarce. The relationship between X and Jesse Filkins is particularly well-rendered, showing how desire and shame can intertwine in damaging ways.
Minor Shortcomings
While The Slip succeeds brilliantly in most areas, it occasionally stumbles under the weight of its own ambitions. Some of the secondary characters, particularly certain boxing gym regulars, feel underdeveloped compared to the rich psychological portraits of the main protagonists. The novel's complex timeline occasionally creates confusion, particularly in the middle sections where past and present events blur together.
Additionally, while Schaefer generally handles sensitive material with care, some readers may find certain scenes—particularly those involving Nathaniel's racial transformation—uncomfortable regardless of the author's clear intentions to critique rather than celebrate such behavior.
Final Verdict
The Slip announces Lucas Schaefer as a major new talent in American fiction. This is a novel that takes significant risks—in its subject matter, its structure, and its willingness to engage with controversial topics—and largely succeeds in ways that feel both artistically satisfying and socially relevant.
While the novel deals with heavy themes, Schaefer infuses the narrative with moments of genuine humor and tenderness. The relationships between characters feel authentic, even when they're built on deception or misunderstanding. Most importantly, the author never loses sight of the humanity in each character, even when depicting their worst impulses.
The Slip is the rare debut novel that feels both fully formed and promising of even greater things to come. It's a book that will likely generate significant discussion and debate—always the mark of important literature. Schaefer has created a work that honors the complexity of identity formation while telling a gripping story about community, belonging, and the prices we pay for transformation.
Read
June 19, 2025Really high hopes for this one given the reviews and it’s always fun to read a story based in a city you know well. Maybe I’m just not in the right mood, but I couldn’t tell what the book was trying to do or the story it was telling.
Maybe I’m also becoming a prude as I get older but there was a lot of bation to the master going on too early in the book imo.
DNF for now and will wait to see what others think.
Maybe I’m also becoming a prude as I get older but there was a lot of bation to the master going on too early in the book imo.
DNF for now and will wait to see what others think.
Read
June 7, 2025DNF @25% - not for me, yikes! I guess it's a matter of taste, but this type of jokey stand-up (dare I say juvenile?) prose just always feels so dated and annoying to me, if not outright offensive... and unfortunately I do think you can't neutralize sexism with a punchline, though this writer is trying his best. It may be that this becomes a wonderful novel at some point after the 25% mark, but I'm sorry to say I'm not sticking around long enough to find out.
thx anyway netgalley!
thx anyway netgalley!
June 18, 2025
Nathaniel visits Uncle Bob in Austin in the summer before his senior year of high school. Under the tutelage of David, a man who is ethnically Haitian and was born in Haiti, Nathaniel learns to box. With his newfound freedom, he impersonates his mentor, pretending to be a 25-year-old Haitian man, and begins a relationship via phone calls with Sasha. In preparing to meet in person for the first time, the white teenager must somehow change the color of his skin several shades darker. On his way to Sasha’s house, Nathaniel gets caught in a tussle by mistake while carrying David’s expired passport. The misunderstanding should be resolved if the police attentively listen to Nathaniel: they would have realized they should not arrest the alleged chocolate-skinned man. Alas, Nathaniel disappears.
Schaefer bolsters this main plot with a host of supporting characters with developed personalities and problems. Considered absolutely, Schaefer thoughtfully constructs these ancillary storylines—I cared for Sasha; I rooted for Belinda. Nevertheless, the quality of overabundance in the cast dizzied me. Perhaps it was the setting (Austin and the boxing gym). This reminds me of some friends telling me they thought McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store felt busy because of all the characters to track. I didn’t think this about McBride’s novel, but I did in The Slip, and I make this comparison because I wonder if the setting (which interested me less in this novel) gives way to this feeling for me. I happily admit this hangup might be me, though I also suspect a story about a white man trying to pass as Black, written by someone who is not Black, leaves me with larger questions to sort.
Congrats to Schaefer for his debut.
Schaefer bolsters this main plot with a host of supporting characters with developed personalities and problems. Considered absolutely, Schaefer thoughtfully constructs these ancillary storylines—I cared for Sasha; I rooted for Belinda. Nevertheless, the quality of overabundance in the cast dizzied me. Perhaps it was the setting (Austin and the boxing gym). This reminds me of some friends telling me they thought McBride’s The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store felt busy because of all the characters to track. I didn’t think this about McBride’s novel, but I did in The Slip, and I make this comparison because I wonder if the setting (which interested me less in this novel) gives way to this feeling for me. I happily admit this hangup might be me, though I also suspect a story about a white man trying to pass as Black, written by someone who is not Black, leaves me with larger questions to sort.
Congrats to Schaefer for his debut.
June 23, 2025
Well written with lots of food for thought (esp about the concept of whether the internal or external is a more ‘real’ version of self), but I think I enjoyed the version of the book I told people about more than I liked the version I read.
June 7, 2025
WOW what a tale!! I think I read this in 36 hours? There hit a point where I physically could not put it down. The plot is wide but the characters are so detailed. I could see everything the author was stating. Kept me glued until the last words on the page… what a fantastic story. I have to shoutout Schaefers prose… much of the text felt like each word was hand selected. A true bibliophiles dream. A top favorite.
June 17, 2025
In its very best moments, The Slip resembles a mix of early Donna Tartt and Gillian Flynn. Immersive, claustrophobic in its microscopic examination of one small locality in Texas, a labyrinth that traps the reader; taking them further down into the mystery of a young teenager’s disappearance, and the wounds that are still felt by the community years later.
The novel’s one weakness is a strange dichotomy: There are chapters where the prose feels clinical and removed, reading like a dry newspaper-esque recount of events. This is juxtaposed against others where the world is much more vivid, compulsively readable, emotionally volatile and immediately available. One could peg this as intentional—but there aren’t specific narrative turns where this shift happens, so it might be a stretch to say so.
The pace is much more meditative than propulsive, but Lucas Schaefer performs an incredible threading of the needle—weaving in and out of multiple timelines with ease. This might aggravate some, but the slow burn does pay off. The last several paragraphs at the end are specifically moving.
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the arc, allowing me a chance to preview this title before its release.)
The novel’s one weakness is a strange dichotomy: There are chapters where the prose feels clinical and removed, reading like a dry newspaper-esque recount of events. This is juxtaposed against others where the world is much more vivid, compulsively readable, emotionally volatile and immediately available. One could peg this as intentional—but there aren’t specific narrative turns where this shift happens, so it might be a stretch to say so.
The pace is much more meditative than propulsive, but Lucas Schaefer performs an incredible threading of the needle—weaving in and out of multiple timelines with ease. This might aggravate some, but the slow burn does pay off. The last several paragraphs at the end are specifically moving.
(Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the arc, allowing me a chance to preview this title before its release.)
January 1, 2025
Truly such a wild ride! The Slip is by all accounts an epic. We follow many Austin residents in the late 90s and early aughts - and as we read on the connections between each of them build and build in the most surprising ways. There’s a mystery present throughout the novel - the disappearance of a teenage boy in 1998 and that story comes in and out of the foreground while we follow equally gripping storylines. I was on the edge of my seat for the entire last third of the book. It reminded me a little bit of Skippy Dies by Paul Murray and also God of the Woods by Lorrie Moore - I think fans of both of those would really sink their teeth into The Slip. I’m very thankful to Lucas Schaefer for the advanced copy and recommend that all of y’all check this out on 6/3/25.
Want to read
December 20, 2024We're so ready for this--put us in, coach!
June 26, 2025
I’ve been following @lucaseschaefer for awhile now, because he’s funny and smart and he has the most adorable family (shoutout to his stage mom @greg_from_a_leg for sharing him with us). I’ve been so excited to read his novel after seeing such incredible reviews and so much love for Lucas and his work. It was worth it!!
This book was an awesome ride. I had so much fun following this story. Once I saw that @shauntc37 was one of the narrators - I knew I’d be listening to the audio. Shaun and @_renatafriedman_ brought this story by @lucaseschaefer to life SO beautifully. I finished it today and that ENDING! So good. I loved all of the perspectives but X’s story really stuck in my heart.
Lucas does an excellent job with social commentary here on everything from race, immigration, sexual identity, coming of age, and more. It’s a book that truly takes you on a journey and there’s one section that *really* got to me (I’ll message Lucas later because no spoilers!). Definitely pick this one up and I fully recommend the audio. Truly fantastic
This book was an awesome ride. I had so much fun following this story. Once I saw that @shauntc37 was one of the narrators - I knew I’d be listening to the audio. Shaun and @_renatafriedman_ brought this story by @lucaseschaefer to life SO beautifully. I finished it today and that ENDING! So good. I loved all of the perspectives but X’s story really stuck in my heart.
Lucas does an excellent job with social commentary here on everything from race, immigration, sexual identity, coming of age, and more. It’s a book that truly takes you on a journey and there’s one section that *really* got to me (I’ll message Lucas later because no spoilers!). Definitely pick this one up and I fully recommend the audio. Truly fantastic
June 3, 2025
The best debut novel I have read this year, and perhaps the best novel I have read this year, Schaefer has delivered an epic and fearless tale that explores hot button issues with comedy and tenderness. Nathaniel Rothstein is a pasty, doughy, taciturn, and troubled sixteen year old who is sent to the home of his uncle, Bob Alexander, in Austin, Texas for the summer after a kerfluffle at his high school in Massachusetts. From the opening pages of the novel, we learn that Nathaniel vanished during his visit in August of 1998 and, ten years later, he remains missing.
While in Austin, Nathaniel volunteered at the Shoal Creek Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home, “where Austin’s moneyed liberals hid their most embarrassing relations.” Nathaniel was supervised by David Dalice, an affable Haitian who served as the Director of Hospitality and who had a penchant for talking to his trainees about his made up sexual exploits: “His sheltered white underlings had such particular notions of Black sexuality that David as Don Juan wasn’t exactly a difficult sell.” These horny teenage boys who hung on to his every word were David’s drug.
In the evenings, Nathaniel used his Hanukkah money on a sex hotline but, channeling David, he unwittingly attracted the attention of Sasha Semyonova with whom he chatted daily, gratis. When Sasha wants to meet in person, Nathanial is compelled to train at Terry’s and to tan, thinking that he can “turn himself Black in hopes of hooking up with a Russian phone sex operator.” Uncle Bob is shocked by “the scope of his nephew’s transformation. He was so much more confident, so much more relaxed. So much more . . . tan.”
There are more characters and more subplots than can be outlined in a review, but Schaefer maintains command over this sprawling epic. Broad in scope, but chock-full of finely rendered characters, this is an ambitious novel with lots of heart and soul. Despite its humor, Schaefer has much to say about issues of Blackness, whiteness, and identity and has concocted a bold plot in service of exploring them. Thank you Danielle Prielipp, Senior Marketing Director, Simon & Schuster, for an advance copy of this remarkable novel.
While in Austin, Nathaniel volunteered at the Shoal Creek Rehabilitation Center, a nursing home, “where Austin’s moneyed liberals hid their most embarrassing relations.” Nathaniel was supervised by David Dalice, an affable Haitian who served as the Director of Hospitality and who had a penchant for talking to his trainees about his made up sexual exploits: “His sheltered white underlings had such particular notions of Black sexuality that David as Don Juan wasn’t exactly a difficult sell.” These horny teenage boys who hung on to his every word were David’s drug.
In the evenings, Nathaniel used his Hanukkah money on a sex hotline but, channeling David, he unwittingly attracted the attention of Sasha Semyonova with whom he chatted daily, gratis. When Sasha wants to meet in person, Nathanial is compelled to train at Terry’s and to tan, thinking that he can “turn himself Black in hopes of hooking up with a Russian phone sex operator.” Uncle Bob is shocked by “the scope of his nephew’s transformation. He was so much more confident, so much more relaxed. So much more . . . tan.”
There are more characters and more subplots than can be outlined in a review, but Schaefer maintains command over this sprawling epic. Broad in scope, but chock-full of finely rendered characters, this is an ambitious novel with lots of heart and soul. Despite its humor, Schaefer has much to say about issues of Blackness, whiteness, and identity and has concocted a bold plot in service of exploring them. Thank you Danielle Prielipp, Senior Marketing Director, Simon & Schuster, for an advance copy of this remarkable novel.
June 5, 2025
A review.
4.5 stars
The Slip tackles many topics, including identity, disconnection, race, queerness, systemic injustice, sex, and the banality of bigotry. It examines how minimally people understand themselves, let alone one another, and the oppressive push for conformity that poisons the concoction in the American melting pot. The prose is inviting and contemplative, and the plot interweaves the threads of Nathaniel’s captivatingly indelible change to each character effectively. The mystery is almost tangential to how the characters shuffle through fractal disappearances and reappearances of themselves—desperate to be seen, heard, and alive. The bobs in and out of multiple types of POVs are typically smooth, but occasionally the, “oh, forsooth” type feels put on.
The Slip is an intriguing journey through the heart of America—it’s complicated beauty and innate ugliness; it’s messy brutality and sincerity that can be as farcical as it is honest; and the ever-present hope that this grand experiment’s promises of respect, dignity, and equality can be codified.
Read Jovan’s review in its entirety .
4.5 stars
The Slip tackles many topics, including identity, disconnection, race, queerness, systemic injustice, sex, and the banality of bigotry. It examines how minimally people understand themselves, let alone one another, and the oppressive push for conformity that poisons the concoction in the American melting pot. The prose is inviting and contemplative, and the plot interweaves the threads of Nathaniel’s captivatingly indelible change to each character effectively. The mystery is almost tangential to how the characters shuffle through fractal disappearances and reappearances of themselves—desperate to be seen, heard, and alive. The bobs in and out of multiple types of POVs are typically smooth, but occasionally the, “oh, forsooth” type feels put on.
The Slip is an intriguing journey through the heart of America—it’s complicated beauty and innate ugliness; it’s messy brutality and sincerity that can be as farcical as it is honest; and the ever-present hope that this grand experiment’s promises of respect, dignity, and equality can be codified.
Read Jovan’s review in its entirety .
June 19, 2025
As soon as I saw Nathan Hill and Jonathan Franzen name checked in regards to this book, it immediately went to the top of my to read pile. I think this book is most reminiscent of Nathan Hill - terrific writing with great characterizations and depth and a meandering storytelling style that takes some detours. At the core of the story is the mysterious disappearance of teenager Nathaniel Rothstein when he was spending the summer with his uncle and aunt in Austin, TX in 1998. Chapters are told in different timelines (summer of 1998 and a decade+ later) about different characters. Much of the action revolves around a blue collar boxing gym, although this is just the setting - you don't need to know about or like boxing for this novel. I'm still not 100% sure about the ending, but overall I really enjoyed the book.
June 30, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ebook. In Austin, in 1998, Nathaniel Rothstein has been exiled to his uncle’s, after assaulting a classmate back in Massachusetts. He spends his time at a local gym slowly learning to box and falling in love with a Russian woman from a phone sex hotline. From this simple story come dozens of characters that show the various hidden spaces of this time and place over almost five hundred pages. A fascinating dive into a community of diverse races and economic realities.
June 18, 2025
At its heart, The Slip is a mystery story that is trying to solve what happened to Nathaniel Rothstein when he goes missing one night in 1998 in Austin, Texas. However, this novel is so much more than that, and grapples with a host of social issues over the course of 490 pages.
For me, the most enjoyable part of this novel was the characters. Multiple characters are provided with rich back stories and are described in such a way that you think you are reading about real people. Even when you think this story is meandering off from the main point, it is still highly enjoyable because of the characters’ stories.
I thought this novel was almost perfect and could not put it down. My only quip is that a couple of the tangents might have gone on a bit too long for my personal preference.
If you are looking for a great literary fiction novel that has a mystery component, I would definitely recommend reading this book.
For me, the most enjoyable part of this novel was the characters. Multiple characters are provided with rich back stories and are described in such a way that you think you are reading about real people. Even when you think this story is meandering off from the main point, it is still highly enjoyable because of the characters’ stories.
I thought this novel was almost perfect and could not put it down. My only quip is that a couple of the tangents might have gone on a bit too long for my personal preference.
If you are looking for a great literary fiction novel that has a mystery component, I would definitely recommend reading this book.
June 23, 2025
Reminded me of reading Nathan Hill! Many characters and roundabout storytelling but don’t stress it will all make sense. Loved it!
May 17, 2025
Initially I had trouble getting into this book as there is a lot of "backstory," but once I understood the relationship between Nathaniel and David I was off and running! It's about so many things: people, places, misunderstandings, and the world of boxing which I'd never been interested in before this novel. It's a hefty read but so worth it in the end as Shaefer deals with so many contemporary issues that plague society. Sooo worth it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
June 22, 2025
Most entertaining book I’ve read in years.
June 5, 2025
Real Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: For readers of Jonathan Franzen and Nathan Hill comes a haymaker of an American novel about a missing teenage boy, cases of fluid and mistaken identity, and the transformative power of boxing.
Austin, It’s the summer of 1998, and there’s a new face on the scene at Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym. Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein has never felt comfortable in his own skin, but under the tutelage of a swaggering, Haitian-born ex-fighter named David Dalice, he begins to come into his own. Even the boy’s slightly-stoned uncle, Bob Alexander, who is supposed to be watching him for the summer, notices the change. Nathaniel is happier, more confident—tanner, even. Then one night he vanishes, leaving little trace behind.
Across the city, Charles Rex, now going simply by “X,” has been undergoing a teenage transformation of his own, trolling the phone sex hotline that his mother works, seeking an outlet for everything that feels wrong about his body, looking for intimacy and acceptance in a culture that denies him both. As a surprising and unlikely romance blooms, X feels, for a moment, like he might have found the safety he’s been searching for. But it's never that simple.
More than a decade later, Nathaniel’s uncle Bob receives a shocking tip, propelling him to open his own investigation into his nephew’s disappearance. The resulting search involves gymgoers past and present, including a down-on-his-luck twin and his opportunistic brother; a rookie cop determined to prove herself; and Alexis Cepeda, a promising lightweight, who crossed the US-Mexico border when he was only fourteen, carrying with him a license bearing the wrong name and face.
Bobbing and weaving across the ever-shifting canvas of a changing country, The Slip is an audacious, daring look at sex and race in America that builds to an unforgettable collision in the center of the ring.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Does the publisher's synopsis sound like A Lot? That's down to the fact that it is. Don't fret, though, there's room for it all in close on five hundred pages. It's told in multiple layers of PoV, it's told across points in time, and it's told at an unfolding pace, not the heady adrenaline rush of a boxing match. (Y'all remember from how I feel about boxing.)
The truth is that "Boxing" isn't quite the same as what I see in the fights here. It's the reasons and techniques and substance of boxing, not the performative violence I'm so repelled by, that are on display. The way young Nathaniel is drawn in to the world of the gym, discovers himself, and makes such a stir as he and David, his Haitian boxing mentor, discover his natural abilities is what it means to be young and find your gift.
Then Nathaniel, all of sixteen, disappears.
To say this was upsetting to me is to understate its impact within the story. It is that dramatic pivot point that many books either lack, or squander the impact of. That almost happens here, which is why the fifth star is partial. There are a welter of viewpoints, some more impactful than others...what's the self-defense hen-class all about anyway?...but the fact is everything does tie in by the end. I think comparisons to Jonathan Franzen are appropriate; I'd say they're not quite all there is, though. Franzen's undeniable way of summing a character up in a phrase is here, but so is John Kennedy Toole's bitter, snarky, unkind edge. I'll say that I encountered these thoughts as I was shifted and rearranged in time, therefore was more than usually alert for new ways of seeing the characters. This is a read that repays your attention and will escape you if you just scan the pages looking for distraction from the world. Attentively read it will be a strong accent on many of the issues we face in the world today.
The gay subject matter in the book is not foregrounded, but foundational all the same. It is not accidental that absolutely nothing in the author's biography is in any way indicative of his own sexuality. He wrote this story well and treated the gay characters well; does that mean anything except he's a good observer, and a sensitive storyteller? ¿Quién sabe? And does it really matter? I'm of the opinion it does not.
The ultimate payoff of the story is down to the much-delayed and very tellingly told investigation into Nathaniel's disappearance that his uncle comes to Austin to launch, acting on a strange tip. It becomes a very different story, honestly, as Uncle Bob Alexander does not seem to get too far yet the police still seem to want to stand in the way...but the idea doesn't seem to be to stop him discovering something so much as preventing him from ruining their image.
Quite a lot happens in the last third of the book that tucks odd strands of character development into proper place in ways I wasn't expecting. The trans representation is excellent, sensitive, and as fearlessly written as the white author's Black characters are. In fact, if I were to pick one word to sum up the affect of this debut author's novel, "gonzo" would be my choice: He sees no obstacles in his difficult choices, only climbable walls.
It is hard to spend almost five hundred pages learning about these folks then leave them behind. A better recommendation to get yourself a copy is hard to imagine.
The Publisher Says: For readers of Jonathan Franzen and Nathan Hill comes a haymaker of an American novel about a missing teenage boy, cases of fluid and mistaken identity, and the transformative power of boxing.
Austin, It’s the summer of 1998, and there’s a new face on the scene at Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym. Sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein has never felt comfortable in his own skin, but under the tutelage of a swaggering, Haitian-born ex-fighter named David Dalice, he begins to come into his own. Even the boy’s slightly-stoned uncle, Bob Alexander, who is supposed to be watching him for the summer, notices the change. Nathaniel is happier, more confident—tanner, even. Then one night he vanishes, leaving little trace behind.
Across the city, Charles Rex, now going simply by “X,” has been undergoing a teenage transformation of his own, trolling the phone sex hotline that his mother works, seeking an outlet for everything that feels wrong about his body, looking for intimacy and acceptance in a culture that denies him both. As a surprising and unlikely romance blooms, X feels, for a moment, like he might have found the safety he’s been searching for. But it's never that simple.
More than a decade later, Nathaniel’s uncle Bob receives a shocking tip, propelling him to open his own investigation into his nephew’s disappearance. The resulting search involves gymgoers past and present, including a down-on-his-luck twin and his opportunistic brother; a rookie cop determined to prove herself; and Alexis Cepeda, a promising lightweight, who crossed the US-Mexico border when he was only fourteen, carrying with him a license bearing the wrong name and face.
Bobbing and weaving across the ever-shifting canvas of a changing country, The Slip is an audacious, daring look at sex and race in America that builds to an unforgettable collision in the center of the ring.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Does the publisher's synopsis sound like A Lot? That's down to the fact that it is. Don't fret, though, there's room for it all in close on five hundred pages. It's told in multiple layers of PoV, it's told across points in time, and it's told at an unfolding pace, not the heady adrenaline rush of a boxing match. (Y'all remember from how I feel about boxing.)
The truth is that "Boxing" isn't quite the same as what I see in the fights here. It's the reasons and techniques and substance of boxing, not the performative violence I'm so repelled by, that are on display. The way young Nathaniel is drawn in to the world of the gym, discovers himself, and makes such a stir as he and David, his Haitian boxing mentor, discover his natural abilities is what it means to be young and find your gift.
Then Nathaniel, all of sixteen, disappears.
To say this was upsetting to me is to understate its impact within the story. It is that dramatic pivot point that many books either lack, or squander the impact of. That almost happens here, which is why the fifth star is partial. There are a welter of viewpoints, some more impactful than others...what's the self-defense hen-class all about anyway?...but the fact is everything does tie in by the end. I think comparisons to Jonathan Franzen are appropriate; I'd say they're not quite all there is, though. Franzen's undeniable way of summing a character up in a phrase is here, but so is John Kennedy Toole's bitter, snarky, unkind edge. I'll say that I encountered these thoughts as I was shifted and rearranged in time, therefore was more than usually alert for new ways of seeing the characters. This is a read that repays your attention and will escape you if you just scan the pages looking for distraction from the world. Attentively read it will be a strong accent on many of the issues we face in the world today.
The gay subject matter in the book is not foregrounded, but foundational all the same. It is not accidental that absolutely nothing in the author's biography is in any way indicative of his own sexuality. He wrote this story well and treated the gay characters well; does that mean anything except he's a good observer, and a sensitive storyteller? ¿Quién sabe? And does it really matter? I'm of the opinion it does not.
The ultimate payoff of the story is down to the much-delayed and very tellingly told investigation into Nathaniel's disappearance that his uncle comes to Austin to launch, acting on a strange tip. It becomes a very different story, honestly, as Uncle Bob Alexander does not seem to get too far yet the police still seem to want to stand in the way...but the idea doesn't seem to be to stop him discovering something so much as preventing him from ruining their image.
Quite a lot happens in the last third of the book that tucks odd strands of character development into proper place in ways I wasn't expecting. The trans representation is excellent, sensitive, and as fearlessly written as the white author's Black characters are. In fact, if I were to pick one word to sum up the affect of this debut author's novel, "gonzo" would be my choice: He sees no obstacles in his difficult choices, only climbable walls.
It is hard to spend almost five hundred pages learning about these folks then leave them behind. A better recommendation to get yourself a copy is hard to imagine.
June 20, 2025
I’ve been eagerly waiting for The Slip since I first heard about it--one of those books that jumped straight onto my “desperately need to read” list. I preordered it back in October and devoured it the moment it arrived.
The Slip is a glorious, deeply human mosaic of characters, moments, and memory. Lucas Schaefer doesn’t just write well, he writes generously. His prose opens up, expands, and leaves a mark. What seems like an offbeat throwaway joke becomes a gut punch a few chapters later. A stray line finds its resonant echo years down the road. He’s a storyteller who trusts you to pay attention and then rewards you when you do.
The novel begins with the disappearance of sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein in the summer of 1998, but the mystery is only the entry point. What unfolds is a sprawling, kaleidoscopic portrait of Austin--its people, its weirdness, its grit and kindness--told through boxers, septuagenarians, queers, cops, janitors, and wanderers. Schaefer seamlessly weaves together gym gossip, phone sex, shame, survival, and sweat into a profoundly satisfying exploration of identity, individuality, community, conscience, and the lifelong work of trying to become someone you can live with.
The characters? I’d follow any one of them into their own novel. Bob Alexander, the pot-smoking uncle-turned-amateur-detective. X, a tender, fearless teen navigating gender and intimacy in the static-y space between radio stations. Jesse Filkins, a tortured young artist whose oeuvre lacks breadth but makes up for it in length…and girth. Dr. Gloria Abruzzi, an acid-witted former psychologist with a mind slowly slipping sideways. David Dalice, a wily mentor whose charisma pulls people toward him for better or worse. Ed Hooley, possibly mad, heartbreakingly kind. Alexis Cepeda, an undocumented immigrant fighter haunted by a life-sized imaginary thumb. Felix Barrowman, a principled fighter reevaluating his prospects, and Carlos Ortega, whose moment in the ring becomes the stuff of legend. The list goes on...
There’s even a coyote. A literal coyote, sure, but also dozens of metaphorical ones: liminal, scrappy, elusive, possibly imagined, possibly holy. Much of the novel orbits events that can’t be pinned down. Like coyotes at dusk, these memories blur and shimmer at the edge of clarity...half-truths, reframed moments, maybes that feel truer than facts. Likewise, the novel is peopled with characters who prowl the margins, vulnerable and dangerous, misunderstood, observant, sometimes predatory, often divine. Like similar establishments in every city in the world, Terry Tucker[motherf*cker]’s boxing gym is a coyote den, rough around the edges, drawing cast-offs and hopefuls, a sanctuary for secrets and strays. It’s real and mythic at once. Alive with sweat, noise, and histories that never get told straight. The gym embodies American myths of masculinity. Boxing, sex, swagger, authority. These are coyote myths. Performed, predatory, half-wild. Virtually every character (especially the men) either buys into them, gets devoured by them, or crawls away from them, wounded but wiser. If The Slip is a novel about transformation, then the coyote is its perfect symbol: misfit, mystical, mangy, marginalized…and always surviving.
Schaefer holds it all with care and clarity and heart.
This is the kind of novel that changes how you move through the world. It makes you look twice. It reminds you that a weird detail, an offhand comment, a sudden moment of connection with a stranger…might matter more than you think. The Slip is big, messy, and unforgettable. I can’t wait to read it again.
The Slip is a glorious, deeply human mosaic of characters, moments, and memory. Lucas Schaefer doesn’t just write well, he writes generously. His prose opens up, expands, and leaves a mark. What seems like an offbeat throwaway joke becomes a gut punch a few chapters later. A stray line finds its resonant echo years down the road. He’s a storyteller who trusts you to pay attention and then rewards you when you do.
The novel begins with the disappearance of sixteen-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein in the summer of 1998, but the mystery is only the entry point. What unfolds is a sprawling, kaleidoscopic portrait of Austin--its people, its weirdness, its grit and kindness--told through boxers, septuagenarians, queers, cops, janitors, and wanderers. Schaefer seamlessly weaves together gym gossip, phone sex, shame, survival, and sweat into a profoundly satisfying exploration of identity, individuality, community, conscience, and the lifelong work of trying to become someone you can live with.
The characters? I’d follow any one of them into their own novel. Bob Alexander, the pot-smoking uncle-turned-amateur-detective. X, a tender, fearless teen navigating gender and intimacy in the static-y space between radio stations. Jesse Filkins, a tortured young artist whose oeuvre lacks breadth but makes up for it in length…and girth. Dr. Gloria Abruzzi, an acid-witted former psychologist with a mind slowly slipping sideways. David Dalice, a wily mentor whose charisma pulls people toward him for better or worse. Ed Hooley, possibly mad, heartbreakingly kind. Alexis Cepeda, an undocumented immigrant fighter haunted by a life-sized imaginary thumb. Felix Barrowman, a principled fighter reevaluating his prospects, and Carlos Ortega, whose moment in the ring becomes the stuff of legend. The list goes on...
There’s even a coyote. A literal coyote, sure, but also dozens of metaphorical ones: liminal, scrappy, elusive, possibly imagined, possibly holy. Much of the novel orbits events that can’t be pinned down. Like coyotes at dusk, these memories blur and shimmer at the edge of clarity...half-truths, reframed moments, maybes that feel truer than facts. Likewise, the novel is peopled with characters who prowl the margins, vulnerable and dangerous, misunderstood, observant, sometimes predatory, often divine. Like similar establishments in every city in the world, Terry Tucker[motherf*cker]’s boxing gym is a coyote den, rough around the edges, drawing cast-offs and hopefuls, a sanctuary for secrets and strays. It’s real and mythic at once. Alive with sweat, noise, and histories that never get told straight. The gym embodies American myths of masculinity. Boxing, sex, swagger, authority. These are coyote myths. Performed, predatory, half-wild. Virtually every character (especially the men) either buys into them, gets devoured by them, or crawls away from them, wounded but wiser. If The Slip is a novel about transformation, then the coyote is its perfect symbol: misfit, mystical, mangy, marginalized…and always surviving.
Schaefer holds it all with care and clarity and heart.
This is the kind of novel that changes how you move through the world. It makes you look twice. It reminds you that a weird detail, an offhand comment, a sudden moment of connection with a stranger…might matter more than you think. The Slip is big, messy, and unforgettable. I can’t wait to read it again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2024
I can't remember the last time I came across a novel that exploded with this much life, a novel this full of ideas and imagination, a novel that was this much fun to read. David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas? Zadie Smith's White Teeth? Brit Bennett's The Vanishing Half? Maybe I'm reminded of those writers because their work, like Lucas Schaefer's, offers not an escape from contemporary politics but a new way of thinking about them. It sounds strange, then, to say that The Slip is a deeply pleasurable read, but it is. Finally, a novel that slips and parries beyond headlines about the border, immigration, Blackness, the trans experience, policing, sex work, toxic masculinity, and the changing plight of Austin, Texas, a city that can't decide if it's a haven for outcasts, like the members of Terry Tucker's Boxing Gym, or a past-its-prime paradise to be paved for condos and skyscrapers. (For affable Terry Tucker and his boisterous gym, think Richard Russo's Empire Falls.)
How does Schaefer do it? Character, for one. The Slip offers not one or two ne'er do wells you'll fall in love with -- a Haitian ex-fighter; a phone sex operator and her questioning, stout-hearted teenager, who goes by X.; a rookie cop and her boink buddy, a wannabe lightweight champion who crossed into the United States from Mexico under shady, outlandish circumstances -- but a dozen of them.
The other way Schaefer does it is through beautiful narrative misdirection. The Slip is a story told slant, and then some. Somewhere, Jennifer Egan is quietly gasping at the muscular, oddball sentences in these pages and how so many disparate, fully realized voices come together to fill us in on the disappearance of a boy (not X. or the aspiring pro boxer, by the way) and the boxing gym he called home for a summer in 1998.
If I'm being short on details it's only because I want you to experience this novel for yourself. So, how did this debut novelist from out of nowhere do it? Call it Texas magical realism. Call it The Schaefarian Slip. One thing you'll be calling this novel and its nearly five-hundred pages is great.
How does Schaefer do it? Character, for one. The Slip offers not one or two ne'er do wells you'll fall in love with -- a Haitian ex-fighter; a phone sex operator and her questioning, stout-hearted teenager, who goes by X.; a rookie cop and her boink buddy, a wannabe lightweight champion who crossed into the United States from Mexico under shady, outlandish circumstances -- but a dozen of them.
The other way Schaefer does it is through beautiful narrative misdirection. The Slip is a story told slant, and then some. Somewhere, Jennifer Egan is quietly gasping at the muscular, oddball sentences in these pages and how so many disparate, fully realized voices come together to fill us in on the disappearance of a boy (not X. or the aspiring pro boxer, by the way) and the boxing gym he called home for a summer in 1998.
If I'm being short on details it's only because I want you to experience this novel for yourself. So, how did this debut novelist from out of nowhere do it? Call it Texas magical realism. Call it The Schaefarian Slip. One thing you'll be calling this novel and its nearly five-hundred pages is great.
June 14, 2025
In his prodigious debut, The Slip, Lucas Schaefer delivers an audacious, sprawling American epic that swings for the fences—and lands at least on third. Anchored by a 1998 disappearance at an Austin boxing gym, the narrative balloons into a densely populated, intricately woven novel about identity, race, sex, addiction, and the pursuit of selfhood.
Sixteen‑year‑old Nathaniel Rothstein, a pale, troubled teen from Boston, is sent to live with his uncle in Texas. Under the charm and swagger of David Dalice, a Haitian‑born mentor at Terry Tucker’s Gym, Nathaniel transforms—physically, culturally, even linguistically—into someone new. Then, one August night, he just vanishes. Across time and narrative threads, another teen, Charles Rex—who now calls himself X—grapples with a gender identity crisis. And over a decade later, a tip jolts Uncle Bob into reopening the case.
Schaefer dares to tackle thorny, urgent themes—racial appropriation, gender fluidity, intergenerational guilt—and never flinches from the grotesque, the bawdy, the tender, and the strange. Kirkus aptly notes his “bold… approach to issues of Blackness and whiteness” and situates him in the lofty company of Franzen, Roth, and Irving.
The novel’s strength lies in its emotional range: one moment it’s riotously funny—a phone‑sex hotline, a wild Haitian pep talk; the next, it’s heartbreakingly earnest. Bill Kelly praises the book’s “adrenaline‑fueled narrative,” where lyrical prose lands “knockout punches.” Yet its ambition is also its risk: ragged timeline shifts, tonal whiplash, and satiric excess may overwhelm readers seeking crisp structure or restraint. As the WSJ observed, it’s “bursting, messy,” but “its footwork is fleet and its energy unflagging.”
Still, if you’re ready to embrace a novel that refuses to stay in one lane—part coming‑of‑age, part mystery thriller, part social satire—The Slip rewards with its sheer gallantry. It may be unwieldy, but it’s unapologetically alive. And those willing to ride its rambunctious waves will find a distinctive, combustible voice that invigorates American fiction.
Verdict: GET IT. A knockout debut—sweaty, messy, and brimming with life.
Sixteen‑year‑old Nathaniel Rothstein, a pale, troubled teen from Boston, is sent to live with his uncle in Texas. Under the charm and swagger of David Dalice, a Haitian‑born mentor at Terry Tucker’s Gym, Nathaniel transforms—physically, culturally, even linguistically—into someone new. Then, one August night, he just vanishes. Across time and narrative threads, another teen, Charles Rex—who now calls himself X—grapples with a gender identity crisis. And over a decade later, a tip jolts Uncle Bob into reopening the case.
Schaefer dares to tackle thorny, urgent themes—racial appropriation, gender fluidity, intergenerational guilt—and never flinches from the grotesque, the bawdy, the tender, and the strange. Kirkus aptly notes his “bold… approach to issues of Blackness and whiteness” and situates him in the lofty company of Franzen, Roth, and Irving.
The novel’s strength lies in its emotional range: one moment it’s riotously funny—a phone‑sex hotline, a wild Haitian pep talk; the next, it’s heartbreakingly earnest. Bill Kelly praises the book’s “adrenaline‑fueled narrative,” where lyrical prose lands “knockout punches.” Yet its ambition is also its risk: ragged timeline shifts, tonal whiplash, and satiric excess may overwhelm readers seeking crisp structure or restraint. As the WSJ observed, it’s “bursting, messy,” but “its footwork is fleet and its energy unflagging.”
Still, if you’re ready to embrace a novel that refuses to stay in one lane—part coming‑of‑age, part mystery thriller, part social satire—The Slip rewards with its sheer gallantry. It may be unwieldy, but it’s unapologetically alive. And those willing to ride its rambunctious waves will find a distinctive, combustible voice that invigorates American fiction.
Verdict: GET IT. A knockout debut—sweaty, messy, and brimming with life.
June 21, 2025
When I was offered an ARC of The Slip, I hesitated before accepting it. The reviews foretold a slow burn of a story, convoluted and meandering, but they were largely effusive and convinced this would be a blockbuster devout. So I started The Slip with that in mind, including determination to make it to the second half, where some reviewers said the book picked up momentum. Well? Yes, that’s true. And yes, it’s true that it’s a slow and convoluted read. Sadly, as much as I wanted The Slip to work for me, it didn’t.
1998. Nathaniel Rothstein is having a confusing teenaged summer. Nathaniel is a Jew from the northeast, chubby, socially awkward. He’s living with his aunt and uncle and working at a nursing home. There, Nathaniel meets David Dalice. Quickly, Nathaniel realizes David is who he wants to be. Over the course of the summer, Nathaniel recreates himself more and more in David’s image—which is weird because David is a middle age, Haitian black man, boxer and pretty far off from suburban Jew.
The Slip tells the story of what feels like a million people that are in some way connected to Nathaniel and David. It’s a bit of a mystery, because Nathaniel is missing. And while I really wanted to know what happened to Nathaniel, I could have done without most of the rest. The range of characters is wide and diverse (a queer teenager who is maybe trans, a middle aged mother who operates a phone sex line for extra cash, an outcast female cop, an undocumented young boxer… the list goes on). Some of the characters are easier to connect with than others, but it all felt so slow to me.
For some readers, I’m sure this will be received as the book of the year so many have raved about. For me, it fell flat and painful, despite a true eagerness to feel otherwise.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Favorite quote:
“In only eleven weeks, Miriam had learned that her city contained a limitless supply of limited people, enough undesirables loitering on the margins that were they to choose a single spot to congregate, they could form a city of their own.“
1998. Nathaniel Rothstein is having a confusing teenaged summer. Nathaniel is a Jew from the northeast, chubby, socially awkward. He’s living with his aunt and uncle and working at a nursing home. There, Nathaniel meets David Dalice. Quickly, Nathaniel realizes David is who he wants to be. Over the course of the summer, Nathaniel recreates himself more and more in David’s image—which is weird because David is a middle age, Haitian black man, boxer and pretty far off from suburban Jew.
The Slip tells the story of what feels like a million people that are in some way connected to Nathaniel and David. It’s a bit of a mystery, because Nathaniel is missing. And while I really wanted to know what happened to Nathaniel, I could have done without most of the rest. The range of characters is wide and diverse (a queer teenager who is maybe trans, a middle aged mother who operates a phone sex line for extra cash, an outcast female cop, an undocumented young boxer… the list goes on). Some of the characters are easier to connect with than others, but it all felt so slow to me.
For some readers, I’m sure this will be received as the book of the year so many have raved about. For me, it fell flat and painful, despite a true eagerness to feel otherwise.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Favorite quote:
“In only eleven weeks, Miriam had learned that her city contained a limitless supply of limited people, enough undesirables loitering on the margins that were they to choose a single spot to congregate, they could form a city of their own.“
June 20, 2025
This 500 page literary debut novel went to 100 different places I didn’t expect and might be the most unique thing I’ve read all year, but it won't be right for every reader. It was EXACTLY what I wanted to sink my teeth into following my Summer Reading Guide reading.
After he gets in trouble at school, Newton, MA teenager Nathaniel Rothstein is sent to live with his uncle in Austin, TX for the summer of 1998. While he’s in Austin, he volunteers at an elder care facility and meets David, who becomes his sort of mentor and introduces him to Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym. But, one night in August, Nathaniel goes missing…and, when we visit the characters 10 years later, he still hasn’t turned up and his case has gone cold.
The publisher is comparing it to Jonathan Franzen and Nathan Hill. I’m going with John Irving, but replace Irving's wrestling with boxing and add some of the teenage angst of The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe.
The story is very meandering, character-driven, and voice-y. I absolutely loved the writing and that was the single biggest thing that made The Slip 5 stars for me. It feels like a random collection of characters for a bit and I did take notes in the beginning. But, it all comes together and these random people all end up being just part of this world centered around a boxing gym.
Schaefer covers LOTS of themes and issues (coming of age, race, identity, sexuality, law enforcement, boxing obviously, and one more that I’ll leave out for spoiler reasons), but he executes this seamlessly even though I 100% had my doubts about whether he’d be able to pull it off. And, yes there is boxing in this book, but The Slip is "about" boxing like Friday Night Lights is "about" football.
Caveat: there’s some weird teenage boy coming into his own sexually stuff, but it’s written with a sense of humor if you’re able to laugh at the awkwardness. But, if you easily cringe, this book may not be for you.
After he gets in trouble at school, Newton, MA teenager Nathaniel Rothstein is sent to live with his uncle in Austin, TX for the summer of 1998. While he’s in Austin, he volunteers at an elder care facility and meets David, who becomes his sort of mentor and introduces him to Terry Tucker’s Boxing Gym. But, one night in August, Nathaniel goes missing…and, when we visit the characters 10 years later, he still hasn’t turned up and his case has gone cold.
The publisher is comparing it to Jonathan Franzen and Nathan Hill. I’m going with John Irving, but replace Irving's wrestling with boxing and add some of the teenage angst of The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe.
The story is very meandering, character-driven, and voice-y. I absolutely loved the writing and that was the single biggest thing that made The Slip 5 stars for me. It feels like a random collection of characters for a bit and I did take notes in the beginning. But, it all comes together and these random people all end up being just part of this world centered around a boxing gym.
Schaefer covers LOTS of themes and issues (coming of age, race, identity, sexuality, law enforcement, boxing obviously, and one more that I’ll leave out for spoiler reasons), but he executes this seamlessly even though I 100% had my doubts about whether he’d be able to pull it off. And, yes there is boxing in this book, but The Slip is "about" boxing like Friday Night Lights is "about" football.
Caveat: there’s some weird teenage boy coming into his own sexually stuff, but it’s written with a sense of humor if you’re able to laugh at the awkwardness. But, if you easily cringe, this book may not be for you.
February 17, 2025
Huge thanks to @netgalley for the advance copy. Out June 3rd!
After getting in some trouble at school, Nathaniel Rothstein’s parents send him to Austin, Texas for the summer to live with his uncle. It’s a long way from his home in Massachusetts, and he is a sixteen-year-old kid, awkward and uncomfortable in his own skin. His uncle sets him up with a job at a local nursing home where he meets David, his charismatic Haitian boss, who changes his life forever. Through an unforgettable cast of characters and unlikely events, Nathaniel will come out of that summer a different person, in more ways than he could possibly imagine.
This book is kind of insane. There are dozens of characters and almost as many perspectives, ranging from a border-hopping twin clown to a group of middle-aged Jewish women taking a class with their local police department. Though it sometimes felt that Schaefer was employing certain plot elements for shock value and that some of these perspectives were unnecessary, the overall result is a novel teeming with life. The characters are richly drawn and unique, each of them so deeply interesting that it is difficult to not fall in love. It’s incredible that this isn’t just true of the main character, but of nearly every person in the novel.
Schaefer’s writing, too, is so energetic that it is inspiring. The details are vivid, creating an incredible sense of place and the people who live there. The imaginative story elements and flashes forward and backward in time lend to the creation of the narrative. The story is so well-crafted, building tension with each chapter to a highly rewarding end. So much of this is well-done, and I can’t wait to see the reception it gets in June.
This is a fantastic debut. I can’t wait to read more from Schaefer in the future. Four stars.
After getting in some trouble at school, Nathaniel Rothstein’s parents send him to Austin, Texas for the summer to live with his uncle. It’s a long way from his home in Massachusetts, and he is a sixteen-year-old kid, awkward and uncomfortable in his own skin. His uncle sets him up with a job at a local nursing home where he meets David, his charismatic Haitian boss, who changes his life forever. Through an unforgettable cast of characters and unlikely events, Nathaniel will come out of that summer a different person, in more ways than he could possibly imagine.
This book is kind of insane. There are dozens of characters and almost as many perspectives, ranging from a border-hopping twin clown to a group of middle-aged Jewish women taking a class with their local police department. Though it sometimes felt that Schaefer was employing certain plot elements for shock value and that some of these perspectives were unnecessary, the overall result is a novel teeming with life. The characters are richly drawn and unique, each of them so deeply interesting that it is difficult to not fall in love. It’s incredible that this isn’t just true of the main character, but of nearly every person in the novel.
Schaefer’s writing, too, is so energetic that it is inspiring. The details are vivid, creating an incredible sense of place and the people who live there. The imaginative story elements and flashes forward and backward in time lend to the creation of the narrative. The story is so well-crafted, building tension with each chapter to a highly rewarding end. So much of this is well-done, and I can’t wait to see the reception it gets in June.
This is a fantastic debut. I can’t wait to read more from Schaefer in the future. Four stars.
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