In The Favorites, Layne Fargo delivers a masterfully crafted story that combines the technical precision of elite sports with raw emotional intensity. Drawing inspiration from Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, Fargo creates a contemporary romance that explores the razor-thin edge between love and obsession, ambition and destruction, set against the glittering backdrop of competitive ice dancing.
Narrative Structure and Style
The novel employs a sophisticated dual timeline structure, weaving between past and present through the lens of a documentary investigation. This approach allows Fargo to gradually reveal the layers of complexity in Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha’s relationship while building suspense around the mysterious incident that ended their partnership at the Olympics.
Fargo’s prose is sharp and kinetic, matching the precision of her protagonists’ movements on ice. Her descriptions of skating sequences are particularly remarkable, translating complex athletic movements into vivid prose that even readers unfamiliar with figure skating can visualize and feel.
Character Development
Katarina Shaw
The protagonist’s journey from determined young skater to Olympic competitor is compellingly drawn. Katarina’s fierce ambition and refusal to compromise make her a fascinating character, even when her choices are questionable. Her development is particularly noteworthy in how it:
- Shows the impact of early trauma on her relationships
- Illustrates the cost of single-minded dedication to a goal
- Explores the complexity of female ambition in competitive sports
Heath Rocha
Heath’s character serves as both a parallel and counterpoint to Katarina. His evolution from vulnerable foster child to elite athlete is equally well-rendered, though his mysterious three-year absence and subsequent transformation could have been more fully explored.
Relationships and Dynamics
The central relationship between Katarina and Heath is masterfully portrayed in its complexity. Their connection goes beyond romance, encompassing:
- Athletic partnership
- Childhood friendship
- Shared trauma bonding
- Professional codependence
The supporting characters, particularly Bella and Garrett Lin, add depth to the narrative. The competitive dynamics between the skaters feel authentic, capturing both the camaraderie and cutthroat nature of elite sports.
Themes and Symbolism
Fargo explores several interconnected themes with nuance:
- The nature of ambition and its costs
- The fine line between passion and obsession
- The impact of childhood trauma on adult relationships
- The role of class and privilege in competitive sports
- The public versus private nature of athletic partnerships
Technical Accuracy
As a sports novel, The Favorites by Layne Fargo demonstrates impressive attention to detail regarding:
- Figure skating terminology and techniques
- Competition structure and scoring
- Training regimens and athletic preparation
- The politics of elite sports
Strengths
- Atmospheric Writing: Fargo excels at creating tension and atmosphere, whether describing the intimate moments between partners or the high-stakes drama of competition.
- Character Psychology: The psychological complexity of the main characters and their motivations is thoroughly explored and convincingly portrayed.
- Technical Detail: The author’s research into competitive figure skating lends authenticity to the sporting elements of the story.
Areas for Improvement
- Some plot threads, particularly regarding the sabotage elements, could have been more fully resolved.
- The pacing occasionally becomes uneven, particularly in the middle sections.
- Certain supporting characters could have been more fully developed.
Comparative Analysis
Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Carrie Soto Is Back or Jennifer Iacopelli’s Break the Fall will find similar themes here, though Layne Fargo’s darker tone and psychological complexity set The Favorites apart. The novel also builds on themes explored in Fargo’s previous works, They Never Learn and Temper, while moving into new territory.
Impact and Relevance
The Favorites by Layne Fargo succeeds in several important ways:
- Highlighting the physical and emotional demands of elite athletics
- Examining the role of class and privilege in competitive sports
- Exploring the impact of media narratives on athletic careers
- Addressing mental health in high-pressure environments
Style and Technique
Fargo’s writing style is particularly effective in:
- Creating tension through tight pacing
- Balancing technical detail with emotional depth
- Using multiple perspectives to create a complex narrative
- Building and maintaining suspense
Cultural Context
The novel effectively addresses contemporary issues in competitive sports, including:
- Gender dynamics in athletics
- The role of social media and public perception
- Economic barriers to elite competition
- The pressure of representing one’s country
Final Assessment
The Favorites by Layne Fargo is a compelling addition to both sports fiction and contemporary romance genres. While it occasionally stumbles in pacing and resolution, the overall impact is powerful and memorable. Fargo has created a story that will resonate with anyone who has ever pursued a passion at great personal cost.
Recommended For:
- Fans of sports romance
- Readers interested in complex character studies
- Those who enjoy stories about competitive athletics
- Fans of psychological drama
- Anyone interested in figure skating
Not Recommended For:
- Readers seeking light romance
- Those who prefer straightforward narratives
- Readers sensitive to themes of emotional manipulation
Conclusion
The Favorites by Layne Fargo is an ambitious novel that largely succeeds in its goals. Despite some minor flaws, it stands as a powerful exploration of ambition, love, and the price we pay for excellence. Fargo has created a memorable addition to both sports fiction and contemporary romance, one that will likely have readers thinking about its characters long after the final page.
What truly sets this novel apart is its unflinching examination of the costs of greatness and the complex nature of intimate partnerships, both on and off the ice. It’s a story that reminds us that in both love and sport, the most interesting moments often happen in the spaces between triumph and disaster.
