Heading North

by Holly M. Wendt

In the same week Viktor Myrnikov earns his first NHL contract with the San Francisco Pilots, he loses his entire former team—and his clandestine boyfriend Nikolai—in a catastrophic plane crash. Grappling with a new league, language, and culture under a grief he cannot share, Viktor presents another challenge for General Manager Liliya Aleyev. Liliya—the NHL’s first female GM, daughter of the team owner, step-mother to Nikolai, and wife of hockey superstar Kirill Stepnov—wrestles for professional and personal control in her deteriorating franchise, marriage, and connection to her father, even as she mourns the only child she’ll ever have. When Kirill asks Viktor to give up his NHL dreams for the rebuilt Russian team and to out himself in the process, Viktor must weigh his career and safety against the potential for a better future.

Genres: Sports, Fiction, Queer, Adult, Hockey, LGBT, Contemporary

Paperback

First published November 1, 2023

About the author

Holly M. Wendt is Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing at Lebanon Valley College. Wendt is a recipient of the Robert and Charlotte Baron Fellowship for Creative and Performing Artists from the American Antiquarian Society and fellowships from the Jentel Foundation and Hambidge Center. They have served as a Peter Taylor Fellow in fiction at the Kenyon Review Writers Workshop. Their work has appeared Passages North, Shenandoah, Four Way Review, Barrelhouse, Memorious, and elsewhere. A member of the Sport Literature Association, Holly is a former Baseball Prospectus contributor and contributing editor for The Classical. Their sports-based nonfiction has also appeared in Bodies Built for Game: The Prairie Schooner Anthology of Contemporary Sports Writing, The Rumpus, and Sport Literate.

Reviews

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both a love letter to a specific sport as well as an indictment of sports culture, this novel is tragic and empowering all at once. The choices Viktor and Kiril make (and lack of choices they have) remind us how bad things are for lgbtq+ folks outside the US (and how bad things can be inside it, too). This is also a book about talent, and how that gives and takes away choice, as well. A powerful read. Recommended.

[Deborah Poe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeously crafted prose, a compelling narrative, rich character development, and a thoughtful exploration of the heteronormativity and homophobia inherent in hockey. I knew next to nothing about hockey, and now know more because of the balance struck rendering exciting scenes on the ice without getting into the minutia that only the most die-hard fans might appreciate. But most impactful to me was the nuanced critique of Russian and American social politics while reflecting the possibility of a world in which we can all be loved and honored even in our difference/s.

[Carl Lavigne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come for the gay grief and the hockey, stay for the thoughtful ruminations on Having A Body.

[Michael Pogach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heading North is a tour de force of emotion, heartbreak, and hope about rising hockey star Viktor and his dream of playing in the NHL. But all that changes when a plane carrying his former Russian teammates and countrymen, including his secret boyfriend, crashes, killing all on board.

Wendt's writing is brilliant. The depictions of hockey and an athlete's life are real and moving. You don't have to be a hockey fan to love this book. But if you are, or if you've played the game, you'll recognize the truths in Heading North, including the resistance to change and acceptance in sports culture. This is a must read novel!

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heading North is a little outside my wheelhouse: I read mostly speculative fiction and I know nothing about hockey. It's a testament to Wendt's skillfulness as a writer that I was nevertheless swept up in this story of Viktor Myrnikov, a Russian hockey star and closted gay man who must navigate the recent tragic loss of his (secret) boyfriend Nikolai, and the homphobia that saturates so much professional sport, even as he pursues his dream of playing in the NHL with the San Francisco Pilots.

I found Viktor to be a complex and sympathetic character who was easy to root for—same thing for
Lilya, the Pilots' GM, who has a few chapters written from her POV. I also appreciated how thoughtfully the book explores differing cultural norms around queerness. As is illustrated in an early scene, to be openly gay in Russia is to court physical violence. Queerness doesn't carry that same stigma in a liberal city like San Francisco, yet moving to the States doesn't magically solve Viktor's problems: He's still trying to make it in a sport that (at the time the story is taking place) has yet to produce a single openly gay player, a sport that is far from embracing all the nuances of gender and sexual identity. Viktor even has an example of what might await him in the form of Adie Barnett, the Pilots' assistant trainer, who was publically outed by Nikolai's father last year. Although he didn't lose his job, there's a painful fallout: protests, hompohobic jokes, players treating him differently, the lasting reputation as "the gay one" that will forever supersede all of Adie's professional accomplishments. Is Vitkor ready to take that on?

This is a sad story, but the camaraderie among teammates and the Pilots' high-stakes journey toward the playoffs introduce some levity and excitement. Viktor is misunderstood but also loved and cared for by people close to him. Without giving away any spoilers, he finds his way, and his journey is well worth following. Wendt is a wonderful writer, and I look forward to reading their next book!

[KT]

it's almost as if the premise of this book was formulated in a lab specifically to cater to my interests lol. which is a great start. and im delighted to say that this book was everything i wanted !!!!!!!!! it was SO good. absolutely love wendt's pacing choices. i love viktor as a character. and wendt's love for hockey just shines through the whole story. i love the nitty-gritty details of training, the details around the AHL + KHL... like, these little details (like testing the sharpness of a skate blade with a fingernail) that make this little fictional corner of the hockey world feel robust and teeming with life. (i do also like that in this world there are presumably 4 hockey teams in california lol.) it's fun to piece together the timeline -- the story takes place in 2011-12 i think, because there's a mention of someone having played with the pittsburgh penguins when they won "three years ago" (so '09, because sochi '14 hasn't happened yet in this universe). also fun to see the little inside-baseball (so to speak) references to players like evgeni malkin + alex ovechkin (pittsburgh's "lanky center" and washington's "gap-toothed wing", p.249) -- honestly im sure there are a bunch of other references i'm missing too.

i'll be honest, i could have lived in the world of this book for a while. the emotions felt real and vivid on the page, but (and this is important !!!!) so did the characters' fierce love of the game. i was so invested the whole time. it's been a while since i've felt this way about a novel, so i'm really stoked to have read it!!! shoutout to maria for telling me about it years ago :>

[anolinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well written book. NOT a romance, to be clear. But a moving story about love and grief that shows just how hard it is for someone like Viktor to exist safely in Russia, while reminding the reader that the United States - especially the professional sports scene in the United States - is no paradise, either.

I'm not sure I fully understood Kirill's motives towards the end. I found it a bit hard to believe that someone would fake out themselves in Russia, even in honor of their dead son. Considering what happens to him shortly after, I'm not convinced he lives much longer after the story ends; is he martyring himself in the hope of making things in Russia just slightly better? Is that even likely to happen? Or is he simply lost in his grief and not thinking clearly?

I also don't know if I believe that Viktor would originally ask Kirill to out him and give him the power to do so whenever he chose. Again, could have been the grief, but seems like a beyond reckless thing to do for someone who spends most of the book trying not to get outed. Was it the self-destructive part of him that wanted to have been on the plane? Would be curious to hear what others think.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of this book. Thank you

I am quite familiar with Hockey as a sport and culture, so I looked forward to reading this book. The book started slow for me, as I spent a lot of time keeping track of who was who, and where they fit. Once that was cemented, the book picked up. Parts of this book were great, spot on and drew me in, other parts not so much. A lot of the characters, like Viktor, Kiril and Liliya, Kiril's wife and hockey team manager, hold a lot in/back, knowing they can't say what they want or feel. I get that, but Wendt often didn't delve into what they were thinking, so yes, most of the time I could guess what was going on in their minds, but feel it would have been more compelling and powerful if there had been some more self dialog, especially since there was so much conflict/doubt in doing what felt right.
I can't imagine how scary it is to be one of the first to break out of the "norm". Even those who didn't care, were cautious. How compelling it would have been if others were brave enough to say, "who cares, have you seen him play Hockey! I want him on my team".
It is an interesting and eye opening book.

[Sophia C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Signed up with goodreads specifically to review this book. This book, on a craft level, is the kind of book that makes you forget your body when you’re reading, which is to say it pulls you into its orbit and the world around you falls away. The pacing is finely tuned—at no point did a chapter feel superfluous or like it bogged the book down. Every piece of this narrative served a purpose. The language was intentional and artful, but not overwritten to the point that it announces itself as crafted. It’s a deftly-handled language that feels organic, a language you can loose yourself in. While I thought the length of the book was spot-on, I also, selfishly, didn’t want it to end. I became attached to the characters, the tensions of risk, of tenderness. Overall, it’s obvious that the writer devoted so much attention and care when crafting this book. It was a joy to read.

Looking forward to this writer’s future works.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of meeting Holly Wendt in person and fortunately got to hear them read a couple incepts from Heading North. So going into this book I had I of course new that my expectations would be met (I guess you could say of course I can confidently say this statement since I cheated since I was read some of it but tomato tomato). And boy were my expectations were met and EXCEEDED. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

I first want to talk about how this novel was essentially a love letter to grief. Grief of losing a son, friend, mentor, partner. Grief over having your privilege of coming out taken away from you. Grief over losing the your sport. But most of all grief over time spent lost keeping a gay relationship behind closed doors in fear of hate crimes, homophobia, and scrutiny.

The novel had such a large cast if character but Wendt managed to write and build them all with such wonderful complexity.

Really loved this novel it wormed itself into my heart and my shelve of five star books cannot wait to read Holly’s future work! ❤️❤️❤️

[Po Bhattacharyya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book. I loved it. The stakes are Himalayan. The writing shimmers. Wendt is a magician with language—what is included, and what's left out, too. I'm left haunted by it. Through heartbreak and dread and awkwardness and love, I rooted for Viktor all the way.

Also, I should mention: as a sometime writer myself, I found myself taking lots of notes. For instance:
1. The Art Of Fielding's non-creepy update – who knew?
2. Icy queerness for a warming world.
3. The rich inner life of a tender beefcake. Yum!

If you love hockey or men or both, if you're looking to melt the ice or be swaddled by it, if you're tired of so-called "reality," do yourself a favor and read this book.

[James Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was enjoyable to read this engrossing story of gay love in the ice hockey world. Wendt is a very talented writer. Real and poignant portrayals of hockey and the life of an athlete are made. It is not necessary to be a hockey enthusiast to enjoy this book. However, if you are, or if you have played the game, you will be able to identify with Heading North's realities about acceptance and resistance to change in sports culture.

[Jennifer Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this "tender hockey story," Holly M. Wendt balances the often-rigid world of sports with a moving queer love story. Viktor's love of the game is colored by his double grief over losing his lover—who was also his teammate—and having to suffer in silence. Alternating among loss, disappointment, shame, and ultimately hope, Wendt weaves a thoroughly touching tale of courage and acceptance.

[Jen Michalski · Rating 5 out of 5]

See forthcoming interview in jmww!

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me so nostalgic for first love, and then made me cry. It's so beautiful, and so well-written, and so intricate, and best of all--it's about sports. LITERARY. SPORTS. NOVEL.

[Katie Strine · Rating 5 out of 5]

proud of this debut! mood is tender and the story is riveting.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 rounded up. It’s well written. Basically a coming of age story. A lot of it is pretty interior. Things are remembered rather than shown.

[Jeremy Broyles · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating story from the jump with engaging characters so lovingly and thoughtfully rendered by Wendt. Plus, professional hockey. What more could even the most selfish of readers ask for?

[Aggeliki Pelekidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written novel offering profound insights about the experience of being gay in the male-dominated, hyper masculine world of hockey. The MC is complex, engaging, and sympathetic. Watching him have to conceal who he is and lose the one person who loved and accepted him for himself is heartbreaking yet Wendt depicts this tragedy with a careful and adroit hand. Whether you’re a fan of sports or hockey, you are inevitably drawn into this world. Highly recommend!

[Renée · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly M. Wendt’s “Heading North” is heartbreaking, compassionate, and beautifully written. In the pursuit of dreams, we are often stung and bruised. It’s the kind of move Wendt's gorgeous novel makes over and over, breaking the protagonist’s heart while reminding readers to open their own. Read my full review here:
http://necessaryfiction.com/reviews/h...