A review by aksmith92
The Favorites by Layne Fargo

emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I am SURPRISED I am rating this a 4.5. I did not expect to like this book as much as I did, and was it perfect? Absolutely not, but oh man, I ate it up.

The Setup: The Favorites follows Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, elite ice dance partners competing for titles and fame throughout their lives. The novel explores ambition, identity, and the intricate dynamics of human relationships, set against the backdrop of figure skating. Through a sophisticated narrative structure and richly developed characters, Layne Fargo delves into the psychological complexities of these protagonists.

This book showcases a dual narrative format, alternating between Katarina Shaw's first-person account and documentary-style interviews with individuals from her past. We hear from Katarina first-hand about her start in the sport, her initial and continuing relationship with Heath, and all her interactions and accounts of the elite sporting competitions along the way. Side-by-side, we get other characters' perspectives on Shaw and Heath and the ice dancing sport generally. Honestly, this was a soap opera in a structured and intriguing story.

What I Loved: I loved the storytelling here. The dual structure of first person and interview-style provided multiple perspectives and layered the storytelling experience, mirroring the multifaceted nature of memory and recollection of events. The use of unreliable narrators and shifting timelines enhanced the suspense for me and kept me thinking about what would happen to Kat and Heath. 

I also LOVED the characters, well, hated to love them (kind of). These were unlikeable characters. Kat was a complex character whose relentless pursuit of Olympic gold was admirable and cautionary. Her character arc illustrated the psychological toll of ambition, particularly for women in competitive sports, and raised questions about sacrifices made in the quest for excellence. She wasn't lovely and regularly manipulated people around her to get what she wanted. Heath was also an interesting counterpoint character in this novel. He struggled with his identity and belonging, coupled with his deep connection to Kat, to underscore the emotional complexities of their relationship. He was obsessive and reactionary, and had his own set of unlikeable traits, as did every character in this book. 

Overall, I found this book to be an interesting commentary on sports, women in sports, intense yet almost-destructive love, media sensationalism, and the commodification of personal narratives. 

Why Not Five Stars? I was so close to rating this five stars because it was a fun experience. Again, this was popcorn reading - I just kept going and going, and it was good! However, I think it faltered just slightly because by the end, the melodrama simply became ~slightly~ too much. It was almost redundant for Kat and Heath to go through ANOTHER drama, either from each other or the sport. I would have been less frustrated if one drama (even a side drama) had been cut.

Additionally, as opposed to others, I didn't mind some of the character growth happening at the end. I don't want to give too much away, but I think Kat's character did a bit of a 180 at one point, and I liked it. However, I don't know if that was completely realistic. I think I get where Fargo was coming from with changing Kat a little bit, and if you read it, I think it will make sense. However, it was a bit out of character.
You couldn't tell me that Kat would have taken the sabotage at the Sochi Olympics lightly. This chick would have messed shit up because she loved skating that much. However, she and Heath just took it. And while I get it, it was their last chance, and they had already been through so much, but it would have been much more fun to see them strategically sabotage back, because that is how their characters were painted. 


However, overall, I think this was fantastic and great storytelling. I couldn't look away, even with the unlikeable characters and intense sport of ice dancing (which I knew nothing about going into this novel). Plus, Fargo's psychological insight renders the novel intellectually engaging and a compelling read. So fun!

**

Everyone thinks Heath Rocha was my first love. He wasn't. My first love was figure skating.

I didn't become a skater because I harbored some childish fantasy of wearing sequins and spinning around like a pretty little top. I became a skater because I wanted to feel like that. Fierce. Confident. A warrior goddess covered in glitter. So sure of myself, I could make my dreams come true through sheer force of will.

The thing is, when pushing your limits is all you know, when it seems normal to you...it's hard to remember you even have limits. Until you run right into them.

"You want to win on the ice, you have to win here first." I didn't want to believe him. I thought my talent and hard work would be enough. That's how young and foolish I was.

Heath had a bottomless pit inside him too, but it had nothing to do with ambition. No matter how much love I gave him, it would never be enough. He wanted to be everything to me, the way I was everything to him. And I would always want more.

When I was strong and self-assured, people recoiled from me. They told me I was too competitive, too ambitious, too much. But when I was brought low, bruised and bleeding, a princess in need of rescue instead of a conquering queen, they loved me.

Good, I thought. We could use it - channel our rage, our love, our hate, our lifetime of simmering resentments and jealousies and secrets, spill it all out onto the ice and leave it there.

Like her, I'd discarded my past, my home, my family. I'd convinced myself if I became the best, it didn't matter who I hurt, because in the end, it would be worth it. Even if I hurt myself most of all. 
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