In the world of ice dancing, nothing is off limits. That’s the tone and story that Layne Fargo set to tell with “The Favorites,” her latest novel that has become the talk of social media since its January release.
Per the book’s description, “To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession. An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating, starring a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice.”
“The Favorites” is told through multiple storylines — both from Katarina Shaw’s point of view as she falls in love with Heath Rocha as a kid and begins her Olympic journey; and that journey told by others via an unauthorized documentary celebrating the tenth anniversary of Shaw and Rocha’s final skate.
“This was a book I wrote for myself about things I was obsessed with,” says Fargo, a longtime viewer of figure skating competitions on TV and a big “Wuthering Heights” fan. When she began, she was working on two different books — a gothic romance and a thriller about ice dancers. “Neither one was working and I just kept bouncing back and forth. Finally, I had the idea to mash them together and make it a ‘Wuthering Heights’ retelling… I’d been struggling for years, and then it was just like this magical process.”
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From there, she began doing much more research, from reading skaters’ memoirs to going through the archives of U.S. Figure Skating official magazine. She searched for every detail so that even the dates and locations of competitions mentioned in the book coincided with the actual event date in history.
While the characters in the book weren’t based on people in Fargo’s life, they were “composites of famous skaters.”
“Kat is very much based on Katarina Witt, the German skater who I grew up watching and have always been obsessed with; she’s just so bold and sexy,” Fargo says. “The Lins were inspired partially by the Shibutani siblings, who are just so sweet. I hope they don’t think that I think they’re as calculating as Bella. They seem like such sweethearts. I’ve always loved watching them, and they were a sibling team that really rose up in the ranks.”
While the Lin family’s heritage is said in the book, Heath’s background is not — which is purposeful.
“Since it’s a ‘Wuthering Heights’ retelling and Heathcliff never knows where he’s come from, and it’s a matter of debate even now, I wanted to keep it kind of mysterious because I think that’s so key to his character,” she says. “He doesn’t have an identity, so he tries to create one through his love for this other person. Out of his trauma, he attaches himself to her.”
“The Favorites” landed a promo video trailer, as well as an audiobook with stellar voice actors — and former skater Johnny Weir in the cast. Weir was Fargo’s idea — one she assumed was “completely delusional,” but she threw it out there since the character he reads for was based on him.
With early buzz, it’s impossible not to ask about an adaptation — especially because Fargo mentions some meetings in the book’s acknowledgments. While staying tight-lipped about any details, she confirms it has been optioned, a showrunner is attached and they are shopping it to streamers. A TV show is preferred over a film since there is so much story to tell.
Fargo also has one dream casting in mind that she’s not afraid to share since she wants to manifest it: Brandon Perea as Heath.
“I think he would be perfect. He has a background in jam skating, which could translate on the ice,” she says of the actor, 29, who appeared in “The OA” and “Twisters.” Other than that, the team has discussed casting unknown actors to bring new, young actors into the limelight.
And with a potential TV show, multiple seasons could be in store. But that doesn’t mean she has a sequel in mind right now.
“I don’t think there’s a sequel. If there was one, it would probably be many years from now,” says Fargo. “I am so in favor of the discussions going on right now in the sport about having same-sex teams competing. There are these skaters, Madison Hubbell and Gabriella Papadakis, who are doing show programs together and it’s gorgeous, incredible choreography. If I was going to write anything else set in the skating world, it would definitely be about two women skating together. I hope to see it in real life before I get to write it in fiction.”
“The Favorite” is available on Amazon or anywhere you get your books.