Read With Raegan discussion

Many of the characters in The Favorites struggle with their sense of identity, especially in relation to their success or failure as skaters. How do you think the sport shapes their self-worth? Did any character’s struggle with identity resonate with you?

For a sportsman or woman, his or her identity will inevitably be linked to his or her performances and, above all, his or her results and achievements. In this book, we have two characters who are quite distinct : one who is driven by his sport and his desire to win competitions, and the other who is more attracted by the person he is competing with than anything else.
I'm no figure skating expert, but the cohesion between the two athletes has to be so important to the performance that the slightest difference in ambition or vision of things can inevitably cause problems. You can't win alone in this sport.