A love letter to an underdog sports circuit and a tender exploration of love, loss and abuse, Underspin is a Bildungsroman and literary puzzle for readers of Rita Bullwinkel, Hua Hsu, Susan Choi, and Brandon Taylor.

Ryan Lo begins playing table tennis at age eight, under the tutelage of his brilliant but ruthless coach Kristian, who sees talent in him that might be nurtured into greatness. Throughout an adolescence circumscribed by Kristian's demanding behavior, Ryan forms jealousy-fueled and mutually adoring friendships with his teammates and competitors, falls in love with fellow table tennis star Anabel Yu, and above all, wins championships. 

By twenty-one, Ryan ascends to the German Bundesliga, the highest echelon of international table tennis, but he doesn't stay there. It is clear to all that he was meant to be the greatest in the world. Instead, he abandons competition and is dead before his twenty-fifth birthday. What happened?

In crisp, evocative prose, Underspin delves beneath the relentless pressure that forges a champion, considering adolescence, estrangement, and the great injustices committed within our closest relationships.