49 pages • 1 hour read
Meghan QuinnA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Levi Posey is one of the novel’s protagonists and first-person narrators. The chapters titled with his first name are written from his point of view. In the narrative present, Levi is a 32-year-old defenseman for the Vancouver Agitators hockey team. Growing up, his parents “knew [his] passion” and “helped [him] grow it along with [his] skill” (182). His stable home life and upbringing thus allowed him to become one of the best defensemen in the hockey league as an adult. He values his work and loves his teammates, with whom he has cultivated close relationships. Levi also wants “to do anything to please [his] coach” because his parents raised him to respect authority figures (34). However, his dynamic with Coach Will Wood is complicated because Wood often catches him getting into trouble with his sexual counterparts or his opponents on the ice. Determined to make amends for these infractions, Levi finds himself agreeing to hire Wood’s daughter Wylie Wood as his personal assistant even though the arrangement compels him to compromise his morals and sense of self.
Levi struggles to balance his empathetic and generous nature with Wood’s demands throughout the novel. Levi knows that his coach wants him to treat Wylie in a way that forces her to give up her job and return to school. However, doing so also forces Levi to be someone he’s not. Demanding that Wylie perform an array of meaningless tasks for him makes him feel selfish and insensitive, traits he’s not used to exhibiting in his close relationships. Furthermore, Levi is attracted to Wylie and wants to get to know her better; he particularly wants to show Wylie “that he’s not a playboy, that he can be a one-woman man” (364). However, the parameters of their working arrangement and his imbalanced power dynamic with his coach keep him from embracing these more pure-hearted, well-intentioned facets of his character.
Once Levi and Wylie decide to be together, Levi is better able to embrace his true self and love Wylie the way he believes she deserves to be loved. He makes frequent romantic gestures, gives Wylie gifts, and invests in her artistic pursuits. Furthermore, he learns how to stand up to his coach to defend Wylie, himself, their relationship, and what he believes in. In these ways, he proves himself to be a dynamic character capable of change and personal development.
Wylie Wood is another protagonist and first-person narrator. The chapters titled with her first name are written from her point of view. In the narrative present, Wylie is 22 years old. She is in her second year of graduate school, where she’s pursuing a degree in business. Although Wylie is grateful that her dad, Will Wood, is funding her education, she’s discovered that her passion lies with art, not business. She proves herself to be a determined and bold character when she confronts her dad about her evolved academic inclinations and reveals her desire to take a different path. She explains to him that although the “direction of [her] graphic art aspirations is still a little foggy,” she does know that she “want[s] to be creative” (26). Because her father fails to value her passions, Wylie is left feeling frustrated and alone. She tells herself that she can “find a job and make a living” to “prove to him” that she doesn’t “need his money or a stupid master’s in business to make [her] life work” (27). Therefore, she believes in herself, but she also wishes that her dad would be more supportive. Ever since Wylie’s mom left her family when she was a little girl, she’s had to navigate Wood’s bad moods and distanced version of love. She knows how to be strong, but she also longs to be cared for and protected.
Wylie’s experience working with Levi complicates her journey toward self-discovery and self-actualization. Wylie wants to be a good assistant so her dad will notice her skill, talent, and independence. Over time, however, acting professionally with Levi becomes difficult as she and Levi have feelings for one another. At times, she’s proud of herself for standing up to and toying with Levi because her games feel empowering. At other times, she feels silly for giving in to these games because she wants to value herself as a person, a professional, and a creative.
Once Wylie and Levi decide to see one another formally, Wylie realizes how much she cares for Levi and how transformative their love has been for her. Levi’s affection feels exceptional because she hasn’t had many relationships where she is appreciated for who she is. Levi supports Wylie’s artistic dreams because he understands that her creative pursuits are a manifestation of her identity. With Levi, Wylie therefore feels empowered. Their relationship also gives her the strength to confront her dad about their historically fraught relationship and to pursue healing and renewal while staying true to herself.
Coach Will Wood is a primary, dynamic character. He is Wylie’s father and Levi’s coach. Although Wylie and Levi refer to him by various monikers throughout the novel, this guide primarily refers to him as Wood for the sake of clarity. In the narrative present, Wood is a single father who has devoted his life to coaching hockey. Because Wood’s “infatuat[ion] with the sport” has taken him “away from [Wylie] for nearly half of [her] life,” Wylie often resents hockey and has not “grown to love it as much as [Wood]” (6). Wood’s love for and investment in the hockey world keeps him from investing in his daughter’s life. He says that he loves Wylie, but he doesn’t often show her his affection or care in demonstrative ways. He only gets involved when he wants to control Wylie.
Wood’s disappointment, heartbreak, and anger make him desperate for control. When Wylie was little, his wife left him when he refused to support her artistic dreams. He told her she could leave and do as she liked, but she had to leave Wylie with him. He has raised Wylie alone ever since, but he refuses to talk to Wylie about her mom or his emotional experiences. As a result of his past, he acts in a rough, dictatorial manner with Wylie and his hockey players. When Wylie tells him that she wants to drop out of business school, for example, he becomes furious because he’s afraid that Wylie is going to leave him the way her mom did. He tries to control her future by setting her up to fail in her job with Levi. This distorted arrangement only pushes Wylie further away and makes her distrust Wood. The arrangement also isolates Wood from his team, as he’s using Levi as his pawn.
Wood ultimately has a change of heart when Wylie, Levi, and the rest of the Agitators team stand up to him. His players urge him to see Levi’s goodness and to have more grace with his players. Wylie and Levi encourage Wood to sort through his sorrow to preserve his relationship with his daughter. These confrontations inspire Wood to reflect on his mistakes, own his faults, and pursue healing with those he loves.
Sandie is a secondary character. She is Wylie’s best friend. Throughout the novel, Sandie and Wylie’s interactions provide insight into Wylie’s character. Wylie feels comfortable with Sandie and trusts her. She therefore speaks honestly with her about her feelings for Levi, her frustrations with her dad, and her artistic dreams. Sandie is supportive, empathetic, and gracious. She offers Wylie advice, encourages her when she feels down, and helps her to feel loved. Wylie and Sandie’s interactions also provide comic relief throughout the novel, as the friends are often inventing ways to toy with Levi and joking about sex, love, and relationships.
Silas Taters, Pacey Lawes, Eli Hornsby, Halsey Holmes, and Oden O’Connor are minor characters, five of Levi’s teammates on the Agitators team. Levi has developed close relationships with them throughout their time playing together. He has not only invested in their lives as individuals, but he has also helped them find happy, romantic partnerships. These characters feature intermittently throughout the novel and provide insight into Levi’s character. When Levi is pulling away from Taters, Lawes, Hornsby, Holmes, and O’Connor, he isn’t acting like himself. When he’s going to them for help, he’s being true to himself and conveying his need for support and friendship.
Penny, Blakely, Ollie, and Winnie are minor characters. They are the girlfriends of Levi’s teammates. Levi credits himself with helping his teammates find and foster romantic relationships with these four women, but he also has close personal relationships with them. He becomes particularly reliant upon their friendship and advice when he and Wylie start working together. They often communicate via text about Levi’s pent-up sexual tension, and they give him recommendations for how to mitigate his internal unrest.
The women later befriend Wylie, too. They welcome her into their charity work and delight in hearing about how happy she and Levi make one another. Their characters provide perspective on the protagonists and add levity to the narrative. In their texting exchanges with Levi, they often joke and use playful language. Their lighthearted approach to sex and relationships helps to balance out Levi’s intense internal conflict.