The Risk

How does the novel test the repeated assertion among players and coaches that romantic relationships are an inherent distraction from athletic success?

Several intimate encounters between Brenna and Jake are interrupted by authority figures, including Brenna’s father and Coach Pedersen. What effect do these repeated intrusions have on how Brenna and Jake navigate their private relationship?

How do the off-ice actions and personal dilemmas of Briar players Mike and Hunter reflect or contrast with Jake’s conduct as Harvard’s team captain?

How do the contrasting behaviors of Eric and Jake during moments of crisis shape Brenna’s decisions about trust and self-reliance?

The athletic rivalry between Briar and Harvard is intensified by an older dispute between Coaches Jensen and Pedersen originating during their college years at Yale. What role does this generational conflict play in the pressures placed on Brenna and Jake?

What role does Georgia Barnes play in Brenna’s professional trajectory, and how does her career path offer an alternative to the culture that Brenna encounters at HockeyNet?

Throughout the novel, characters rely on explicit agreements, such as Jake’s quid pro quo arrangement with Brenna and the strict behavioral rules he imposes on his team. How do these formal bargains influence the relationships they’re designed to regulate?

Brenna regularly wears bold red lipstick in personal settings but switches to a subdued pink gloss for her meetings with Ed Mulder. How does this contrast in appearance reflect the competing expectations she navigates personally and professionally?