Girl In the Arena Review

This book is so problematic — I can't stop coming up with examples of how it falls short and messes up. Yet, despite this, I found it oddly compelling.

The premise is that, starting in the 1960's, a combat sport rose in popularity in the U.S. and the across the globe, in the tradition of Roman gladiatorial fighting. Although the sport didn't start out advocating fatalities, gradually grievous injury and death became part of the business. Over time, the sport became cult-like, having strict bylaws and rules of conduct that governed both the lives of the fighters and the lives of their spouses and children.

Girl in the Arena follows Lyn, a young woman whose mother is a professional gladiator wife. Lyn's current stepfather is her seventh gladiator father (and her favorite dad). The book starts out with Lyn's stepfather, Tommy G., preparing for the American title match. He's nervous and off his game, so Lyn gives him her dowry bracelet to wear for good luck. Well, during the match, Tommy's opponent gets ahold of Lyn's bracelet. The rules of the business dictate that Lyn must now marry the man.

From here, I was expecting a lurid romance to bloom, starting with Lyn rejecting her gladiator groom in disgust before gradually and inexorably falling in love with him. (This is cliched, to be sure, but not necessarily an unpleasant reading experience.) To my surprise, however, the book went in a different direction. Lyn makes some unexpected choices that kept me reading, despite my displeasure with the book's many failures.

Haines' writing is notably unusual. She inexplicably uses hyphens to denote dialogue. She ends chapters in weird, abrupt places. She tosses in little tangents and details that quite obviously came to her in the middle of her writing. As a result, the prose is many things — interesting, frustrating, and unsettling to name a few. I could live with the bizzare style, but my major issue was the huge plot holes, big enough to drive my crappy RAV4 through. Also, the fight scenes were a hot mess. Haines doesn't write combat or action well. Another problem was Haines' decision to make her setting a futuristic alternate reality during current times — she juxtaposes holograms who can eat food with Jon Stewart. The book was messy.

Despite all of this, I kept reading. I don't think I was necessarily enjoying myself the whole time, but I definitely felt compelled to reach the end. In regards to recommending this book to others... I'd say you should give the book a shot if it piques your interest. Just be prepared to be taken aback by this novel.