They were an obsession, then a scandal, and ultimately… a tragedy
A glittering world of competition, a destructive love inspired by a decades old classic, and a devastating moment that had the whole world hold their breath. That is what you will get into if you read The Favourites. The story is complex and compelling, and full of themes of love and betrayal. I promise you will not get bored.
Plot
The Favourites is about Katarina Shaw, who knows from a young age that she is meant to compete at the Olympics in ice dance, and Heath Rocha. He is a lonely kid stuck in the foster-care system, and when Kat and Heath meet each other, their connection is instant. Their chemistry continues onto the ice as they grow from childhood sweethearts to a force to be reckoned with on the ice. Already notorious in the public eye for their beautiful ice dancing, rebellious streak and up-and-down relationship, everything explodes when a dramatic turn of events at the Games themselves destroys their partnership in front of the whole world. No one truly knows what happened, so when ten years later a tell-all documentary is released, everyone is eagerly watching. Will Kat break her silence and change her narrative? Or is the truth as scandalous as everyone believes it to be?
By now, I’ve hear it all: Katarina Shaw is a bitch, a diva, a sore loser, a manipulative liar. Cold-blooded, a cheater, a criminal. An attentions whore, an actual whore. Even a murderess. Call me what you want. I don’t give a damn anymore.
My story is mine, and I’ll tell it the same way I skated: in my own way, on my own terms. We’ll see who wins in the end.
Narration
Told in a documentary style, the people close to the protagonists Katarina Shaw and Heath Rocha, or the people who were involved in what happened ten years earlier each tell their version of events, filling in the blanks to finally share with the world, and the reader, how it all went down. This type of narration makes the story extra compelling and immersive, and heightens the pacing. You are constantly getting a new point of view, receiving more information and hearing different voices, so it never gets boring. You can almost hear the crowd roaring in the distance, see the camera flashes, and feel the cold of the ice on your face while reading. The way this story is told fits perfectly with the scandalous nature of the plot and really took the novel to a higher level.
Former olympic ice dancer Ellis Dean speaks to an interviewer in a West Hollywood bar.
Ellis Dean: We used to joke they were going to die in each other’s arms or kill each other with their bare hands. Nothing in between.
Figure skating coach Nicole Bradford is interviewed in her suburban Illinois kitchen.
Nicole Bradford: They were the most talented skaters I’ve ever worked with, no question. But looking back… yes, I could see the signs of trouble to come.
Characters
There were a lot of different characters in this book, both because of the style of narration and the competitive world of fame and elite sports. The protagonists and main side characters were well fleshed out, and the inspiration from Wuthering Heights is especially visible in the characters of Kat and Heath. While Heaths temper is reminiscent of Heathcliffs violent nature, he is more mellow than his original, but because of the modern setting that was a good thing. He was similar enough that his and Kats characters clashed when they had to, but dialed down enough that he is palatable for a modern context where too much temper or even violence would not be accepted by readers for a protagonist. Kat was just as selfish, venomous and manipulative as Brontë’s Catherine, but her reasons for acting that way were always there. We can see how she grew up and got to where she was, and how the competition and rise to fame get to her. Though we can see how Kat and Heath are not always good for each other, I was still rooting for them to make it. They truly met their match in each other.
The many side characters support the character arc of our protagonists, because they enable the situations they get in. It feels like a chain reaction of people setting each other off and starting the development of events. The twins and their mother were important side characters, who are also clearly inspired by Brontë’s original, but Fargo made adjustments where necessary for them to fit into this modernised story and steer Kat and Heath to where they needed to be. I feel like she made the perfect balance in retaining elements from the original and changing key elements in both the characters and the plot, to make everything fit together perfectly.
Final thoughts
This is as much as I want to give out on The Favourites without risking spoilers. It is truly one of the best books I have ever read, and as I said in my previous post on 7 books I want to read again, I also read it in just over a day. I was so completely immersed in this world that I could not put it down. Wuthering Heights is also one of my favourite books, so for me those elements enhanced the reading experience even more. However, it is more of an inspiration than a complete retelling, so if you have not read Brontë’s book or you did not enjoy it, I am sure that won’t influence your reading experience of Fargo’s book. If you are as fascinated by ice skating as I am, you are in for a treat because both the beauty and intensive training of this sport are highlighted and I have gained a lot of respect for professional skaters. If you are ready to get truly swept up in this whirlwind of a book, do pick it up, and let me know if it is one of your new favourites.
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