What We’re Reading: Carrie Soto Is Back
Welcome to the “What We’re Reading” ongoing series where you’ll find PCVs sharing their thoughts, reflections, and reviews on books of any genre. Sticky Rice Editor in Chief Gretchen Evans also interviews fellow Volunteers and they discuss the books they’ve been reading at site. Don’t forget to leave us a comment below if you’ve also read any of these books!
Noel Knight, 137 YinD
I struggle to define my favorite book genre. Realistic fiction, I guess, fits the bill, but I would love something more specific than that. I’m not particularly fond of mystery or romance, and drama doesn’t exactly feel like the right word for me either. When people ask what books I like to read, I will usually give them my favorite author: Taylor Jenkins Reid. I have become quite familiar with her bibliography over the years, reading and rereading just about everything she has put out. My most recent read, however, has quickly become my favorite.
Carrie Soto is Back follows tennis star Carrie Soto as she comes out of retirement to reclaim her record of tennis grand slam wins. This story takes place in the 90s, a period of time when women were consistently undermined for their athletic achievements. Carrie is ahead of her time in this sense, as the book highlights her spitfire attitude and passionate competitive spirit. She is not the first woman to achieve what she has– she is the first person, ever. She offers a refreshing unapologetic attitude to the rhetoric surrounding women in sports. Her arc does not revolve around learning to be “nice” or making friends with her competitors. She wants to win, and there is no flaw in that, no character trait to correct, and no reason for her goals to deviate. Carrie’s dedication is inspiring, and as a reader, you have no choice but to respect the work she puts into achieving whatever she sets out to do. I found her frustrations are incredibly relatable as well. As a former athlete, feelings of inadequacy are incredibly familiar to me, as well as the opposite: feeling like you are the better athlete or the better team, and simply having one bad day or making one mistake that costs you a win. I have the utmost respect for Carrie’s resiliency in this regard. She experiences loss, especially toward the beginning of her career, but she never lets that get the better of her.
Another aspect of the story I appreciated was Carrie’s relationship with her tennis coach and father, Javier Soto. Carrie’s mother died as a child and Javier never remarried, so the Soto family is just the 2 of them. Though a motherly figure is absent from Carrie’s life, her story does not center around this. The love Javier feels for Carrie radiates off the pages and is enough to fill the void left by her mom’s passing. In addition, Javier is incredibly supportive of Carrie’s tennis career. Being a retired tennis star himself, he understands Carrie’s drive and does everything he can to help her become the best that she can be. It is clear that his love is not contingent on her success, despite being just as passionate, if not moreso, about Carrie’s career than Carrie herself. By the end, the book feels equal parts Carrie and Javier’s story.
My idea of what a “happy ending” was for Carrie changed several times as the book progressed. Though the ending wasn’t exactly what I expected, it was nothing short of perfect. I cannot recommend this enough for anyone looking for a book they won’t be able to put down. Taylor Jenkins Reid, you’ve done it again!
