In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Scaachi Koul's Sucker Punch, reflecting on body image, the dissolution of her marriage, and her mother’s cancer. In its review, PW calls it "Probing and strikingly candid."
Here's how the book came together:
Scaachi Koul
“I sold this book off a proposal around seven years ago. About 45 minutes after selling the book, my life slowly started unraveling. I lost my job, my mom got cancer, my marriage fell apart, and the pandemic made my move to New York feel very stupid. Sucker Punch exists because I brought myself back into existence. But the reason it exists is to hold the hand of anyone shocked by just how bad it can get. There’s something for you on the other side.”
Ron Eckel
“It has been incredible to witness the level of enthusiasm and support from both of Scaachi’s publishing teams—St. Martin’s in the U.S. and Knopf in Canada. The collection deals with very sensitive and difficult material, and everyone has put Scaachi’s well-being and safety first.”
Anna deVries
“When the manuscript hit my desk and I tore through it, I realized that Scaachi has again managed to brilliantly navigate some of life’s most painful and awkward moments with humor, grace, and wisdom, allowing her readers to see her at her most vulnerable, even as she’s relaying universal experiences and truths.”
Jonathan Bush
“I experimented with the iconography of marriage and looked for ways to juxtapose the symbols of marriage against the title to evoke some kind of no-holds-barred conflict. I discovered that the image of a wedding ring could be seamlessly combined with the finger holes of a pair of brass knuckles to create an image that captures the spirit of the book and communicates it instantly to the reader.”
