The Necessary Hunger

I started this book because it looked like it'd be a fun read: a gay sports story. Not that many going around. But by the time I 'd finished it I realized it was so much more than that. The Necessary Hunger touched me on so many levels that it's hard to lay them all out in any sort of order. Nina Revoyr uses sports as a metaphor for life, for growing up and finding yourself. That in itself is nothing that special, because that's the meat of all sports stories. But Revoyr does it in a way that makes you feel. She gets into the mind of soul of an athlete who's just going through her growing pains, trying to figure out who she is. And as if that weren't enough Revoyr throws in a whole spectrum of other issues: class, race, sexuality, privilege. This is more than just a love story. It's a story about passion and determination, of life and loss, and of daring yourself to take that one terrifying step into the unknown. Nancy and Raina are absolutely believable characters, so three-dimensional that they are bound to resonate with everyone on some level. The greatest strength of this novel is that Revoyr takes everyday situations, the stuff that everyone has been through at one point or another, and puts her craft into them so that the resulting masterpiece is an intricate story based purely on emotion. She pulls you in with vivid descriptions of emotion, and does it in a gritty, realistic way that connects you with the character. This novel is so much more than your average sports story. And it's worth every penny.

I just finished reading this book which I couldn't put down for 3 days. If you read purely to be amused and entertained, I wouldn't say this is the book for you. But if you read, to understand more clearly different lives, and cultures or just to get you thinking, this is perfect. Although intially dissapointed with the ending, I still can't stop thinking about the book so I know it did it's job as far as getting in my head.This is a simple book about life. It's not about specifically geared towards only lesbians or basketball players. As a straight woman, I found myself relating with Nancy so much. I felt her love, pain, and happiness. The writing was purely genius in that sense. Maybe I wished there was more drama or more of a happy ending, but I think that would have taken away from the simple yet intense theme that Revoyr got across. Overall, I think it's the best thing I've read in quite a while

This is the best lesbian novel I've read in a long time. Revoyr takes on many issues: racism, sexism, teenage issues, and of course, homosexuality. She manages to give adequate attention to all of the issues and write an engaging novel at the same time.

1997 was an exceptional year for first novels, and Nina Revoyr's "The Necessary Hunger" is right at the top. This gem of a "coming of age" novel holds it's own and deserves to be in the company of J. D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." The story line involves Nancy Takahiro's reflection on her high school basketball team going into the play-offs during her senior year in 1987. My hat off to Ms. Revoyr for such a unique accomplishment and sensitive story. You won't want the book to end.

Once I started reading this book I just couldn't put it down. A very tender, but emotionally intensive book. Where silences are just as or even more meaningful than what is said with words. Putting one's emotions and feelings into words is very difficult if not almost impossible. But Revoyr has succeeded in doing it so convincingly it left me almost breathless. The Necessary Hunger offers much much more than the synopsis reveals.