Carrie Soto Is Back

Carrie is the protagonist and narrator. She first appears in Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising as the lover of Brandon Randall, who is the husband of that novel’s main character, Nina Riva.

Carrie values winning above all else. She wants to be the greatest, and she re-enters professional tennis after retirement just to keep her Grand Slam record. This obsession began with her father, Javier. After her mother died, Javier threw himself into making Carrie the best tennis player he could, calling her Achilles and saying that “Achilles was a great warrior because it was his destiny to be one” (15). Carrie thus sees herself as destined to be the greatest, even after Javier changes his views and urges her to find happiness.

When the novel begins, Carrie tries to return to her past self, to push herself in the same way and to win in the same way. She has long been seen as cold to both other players and fans, causing her to earn the nickname “the Battle Axe” for her ruthlessness on the court. She doesn’t much care for what others think about her, but excerpts from news articles and transcripts from radio and TV shows illustrate how she is disparaged by the public because she celebrates her victories.