I have no idea if Layne Fargo’s The Favorites would be any good as a book-book that you read, but it is a delight as an audiobook. With a cast of character voices to bring distinction to the… cast of characters that open each chapter, the audio version is particularly delightful.
Following skating dance partners through their years competing for Olympic glory the book is mostly one of romance and plot-ty moments around competition and the lengths the Russians will go to sabtoage the Americans or maybe its someone else but who cares because it’s all plot and delightful.
There are some moments where the book tries to be More Serious about the economics of figure skating or gender dynamics of figure skating/dance or the influence of media on sport/celebrity, but these moments feel like they are trying very hard to be serious amid a book that does it best just being fun and silly.
Anyway, it’s a great choice if you have a long car ride coming or several drawers that need organizing and a good audiobook to keep you entertained along the way.
Literary Vice 