
Member Reviews

I really enjoyed reading The Slip by Lucas Schaefer.
This was a wonderful yet heartfelt read
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

I can't believe how well the boxing aspect of this worked for me! The story dragged at times, but overall I really enjoyed this novel.

Super sad and disappointed to say this was a miss for me. I love a story that incorporates sports in some way, but I just couldn't connect with this aspect. I also found the writing style not to my liking. I never made a meaningful connection with any of the many characters, and the writing just didn't make me feel anything or care. This was a book I was looking forward to, so it's a bummer I didn't enjoy it more.

pretty well written but took a bunch of time to get there. the story feels a bit too slow-paced for its size but the characters are impeccably written. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

As 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 Alcalde magazine!

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!

The Slip was not what I was expecting. It starts slow, but as more characters are introduced, and the web starts to take shape, I was hooked. I definitely enjoyed some perspectives more than others and there were a few scenes that didn't land for me, but overall I really enjoyed this book.

This was an incredibly ambitious debut. The blurb references Jonathan Franzen but I found this more analogous to A Confederacy of Dunces. Instead of New Orleans, this book lives and breathes Austin. It is just as absurd, with a heavier dollop of social commentary about race, class, transgenderism, the police and early 21st century politics. Also like John Kennedy Toole's masterpiece, the power of the story lies in the characters. The backstories are like individual short stories themselves and you come to appreciate these eccentric folks who are trying to find themselves, often in questionable places. I think the plot took a couple extra loops that were not necessary and that the absurd nature of the plot undercut some of the social commentary, but those are quibbles with an accomplished debut. I look forward to his future work.

I received an advance reader copy of novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on my Goodreads page. This novel is scheduled for release on June 3, 2025.
Every so often, you come across a work that spans generations and multiple points of view — and you just feel it is probably destined to be dissected and discussed for years to come. That is so with this novel. The comparisons to Franzen are well-earned; this author captures the same sprawling, intimate storytelling style that feels both grand and subtle all at once.
At its core, this book is about the disappearance of 16-year-old Nathaniel Rothstein in the summer of 1998. Decades later, the mystery of his vanishing still reverberates through the lives of those he left behind. The story unfolds both backwards and forwards in time, weaving a rich, intricate tapestry amongst all the characters. However, to call this merely a "mystery" would be a disservice — it’s a profound work of literature that happens to carry a mystery inside it.
I highly recommend The Slip. It’s not a book to rush through; it demands — and ultimately, rewards — patient, attentive reading. Details are planted with subtle precision, and only when you turn the final page does the full picture come into breathtaking focus. 4.0 stars!

I really enjoyed this book. A sweeping, unflinching portrait of American contradiction, this novel punches hard and lands every blow. Here one will find big ideas, messy families, and the quiet violence of everyday life—but with a voice entirely its own. The characters breathe, ache, and stumble through a country both vast and claustrophobic. It’s a story of longing and loss, of the past refusing to stay buried. At once intimate and epic, the novel demands your attention and rewards it generously. A remarkable, deeply felt achievement. Again, I thought this book was the bomb.

This one right here pulled at my heartstrings. I loved it soo much! I could not put it down and I liked that it moved slow. I was able to really get into the characters and the plot. I loved how the story moved along beautifully. This is one that I will need on my shelf!

This took me a damn minute, holy cow. But despite crawling through this at the speed of a slug, I was thoroughly enjoying every prolonged minute of it. The characters were incredibly complex and lovable along with being morally grey or unlikable. The writing and story were phenomenal as well, I'll definitely be looking out for more stuff from this author in the future.

This was a really fascinating, lyrical, and insightful novel. I am often moved by literary novels like this that focus on relationships, specifically ones that are complex but tinged with genuine affection, with something almost resembling hope but not quit.e. Schaefer's novel is moving in a way I wasn't expecting. I hope to see this gain a massive audience of individuals in need of something engaging, insightful, and deeply necessary for the times we're living in.

Although the the pacing of this story was slow, I do believe the highlight of this story was how masterful the tension was built. This was emotional and gripping, and the characters were very well crafted. Loved this read.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. This book was moving, emotional, sad, and addicting. I was captivated by the characters and the plot. I enjoyed this so much. I can't wait to purchase a physical copy of this book. The author deserves all the praise for writing such an amazing book.

"The Slip" by Lucas Schaefer is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that explores themes of identity, loss, and personal transformation. Schaefer’s writing is beautifully layered, offering a haunting meditation on how our perceptions shape who we are. Although every page is brimming with beautifully written details, the pacing was a bit slow for me at times. However, after finishing the book, I felt very satisfied and would definitely recommend.

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.

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.)

I absolutely loved The Slip by Lucas Schaefer! It’s hard to believe this is his debut novel. Growing up in Austin just after the time the book takes place, it felt especially nostalgic for me. It captured the Austin I missed after leaving, and I loved being able to revisit so many of the places mentioned in the story.
The pacing and writing were fantastic, and the way Schaefer built up the suspense was top-notch. The diversity of the characters was refreshing, and the ending was incredibly satisfying. I especially appreciated how each chapter was told from a different character’s perspective, each one playing a role in the mystery of Nathanial’s disappearance. All the pieces came together beautifully.
I definitely recommend this one—it's a gripping, well-crafted story that sticks with you!

while i found it initially difficult to follow such a vast array of characters, getting to know them truly paid off because this story surpasses so many stereotypes and tropes of the trans experience, immigration, blackness, sex work, and so much more. such an honest yet unique storyline that kept me wondering what would come next.