The Favorites

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of emotional abuse.

Ambition is the defining feature of Kat, the protagonist of The Favorites. Kat’s character arc is rooted entirely in her ambition of becoming an Olympic-gold-winning ice dancer. However, Kat’s journey and her desire to win do not exist in a vacuum—both are deeply influenced by other figures in the sport, like Sheila and Bella, and she, in turn, serves as inspiration to others, including Francesca. Through these interconnecting stories and experiences, author Layne Fargo explores the costs of ambition.

From the beginning of the novel, Kat is deeply ambitious and fiercely determined. These traits are mirrored by the other women around her, particularly in her idol and coach, Sheila, and her fiercest rival and closest friend, Bella. All three women display both resilience and dedication: Kat parts with her mother’s ring to finance her training at the academy, Bella invites Kat and Heath to train with her and Garrett when she realizes that their talent might eclipse hers one day, and Sheila won two consecutive Olympic gold medals despite having had her children in the years between. The commitment displayed by these women is contrasted against the men’s apparent lack—Garrett and Heath both display unhappiness at the sport’s pressures and relief when they are forced to step back from it. Heath is happier when he is by Kat’s side as she recuperates after her injury, while Garrett is secretly relieved that he was not selected for the Olympics team after Kat’s fall. Fargo offers this contrast to highlight how deep the desire for greatness and victory runs in Kat, Bella, and Sheila; they are entirely fueled by ambition.

While this ambition inspires resilience and determination, it also simultaneously leads to problematic decision-making that ultimately acts to their detriment. All three women characteristically lash out against anyone and anything they perceive as a threat. Sheila is unapologetic about the damage she does to Kat and Heath’s relationship: She does whatever she can to maximize the chances of her children’s victory, which she sees as her legacy. Bella takes a page out of her mother’s book as she directly and indirectly attempts to sabotage Kat’s chances of victory, from physically causing her harm to partnering and starting a romantic relationship with Heath. Even Kat acts callously in the way she dismisses Heath’s feelings when she believes that they stand in the way of her achieving her dreams, as she does when he hesitates to attend Sheila’s academy. All these decisions display the ruthlessness that their ambition engenders, but in each case, there are also negative consequences for them. Not only are Sheila’s Olympic dreams for her children unfulfilled, but she is also left bitter and alone, missing out on close relationships with her children. Similarly, Bella sabotages her chances at the Olympics by harming Kat through Heath, as Heath abandons her at a crucial moment to be by Kat’s side. As for Kat, she experiences heartbreak when Heath leaves her in order to train and try to live up to her ambitions. With these repercussions, Fargo underlines the things that one loses along the way if one remains blinded by ambition.

This is the lesson that Kat ultimately learns by the end of the book. Upon her return to ice dancing alongside Heath, Kat is older, wiser, and less caught up in winning. The final step in her growth, however, is triggered by the events at the Olympics: When she speaks to Francesca, Kat comes to realize that her own ambition was the cause of their downfall. Francesca grew up idolizing Kat, and Kat is saddened by the fact that she inspired ruthlessness and cruelty in Francesca by teaching her to chase victory at any cost. In the final pages of the novel, Kat is able to shed her ambition entirely: Having discovered the true meaning of winning, which is to be doing the things she loves surrounded by the people she loves, Kat chooses to no longer pay the high costs of ambition.