Stephen Florida

"Gabe Habash’s brilliant debut novel follows Stephen Florida, a megalomaniac college wrestler in North Dakota, as he tries to win the NCAA championship that has been his goal for years. Habash manages to make his protagonist both charismatic and repelling, frequently on the same page, and the result is one of the most fascinating characters to come along in quite a while. Stephen Florida is brash and audacious; it’s not just one of the best novels of the year, it’s one of the best sports books to come along in quite a while."