Every time folks rail against romance novels or their authors for not centering or investigating how a larger institution works (racism, classism, patriarchy, etc.), it always comes across to me as either: wanting romance novels to be something they aren’t and can’t be while maintaining their purpose—the romance plot, or unintentionally demanding that all romance characters be white. Because these arguments never ever ask that an author have the white characters in their novels dismantle their own whiteness. It’s only ever a criticism of not doing enough, when romance novels do not have the structure to take on those discussions in any meaningful way, without pushing the romance plot—which is where the conflict of the story stems from—to the side.
If Shane spends the novel being the Victim of Racism, his conflict is isolated to himself. The thing romance novels are selling is that two people can overcome personal issues to get together and/or a larger structure keeping them apart. If the larger structure is racism in the NHL, what, then, is Ilya’s part in this story?
I’ve heard so many complaints about Ilya’s line to Shane about his mom being “Japanese or something. Probably where you get your looks,” which yes, is a shit thing to say: but everyone’s criticism of that seems to be against Reid, specifically, as if she is the one thinking and saying it, and not something Ilya is saying! I know he’s the love interest but sometimes white people say racist things?! It doesn’t mean she supports what Ilya is saying. Shane brushing past that reads to me as a learned response of having to (unfairly) pick the things to call out, but why is the expectation on him to do so anyway? If the criticism is that Reid doesn’t explore how Shane’s race affects him, then it would be naive to expect that Ilya would never say or hold any racist ideas ever. That’s how racism works! It takes constant vigilance to unlearn it.
Romance novels are both a fantasy but also weave in real world truths but only so far, because it has to maintain the fantasy. Heated rivalry and The Long Game specifically are novels where two queer hockey players not only come out publicly, but also do so while still playing! It doesn’t get more fantasy than that even today! The only reason romance novels can investigate and dismantle sexuality and romance more than any other social structure is because that is what the genre hinges on! It can’t not, but even while it does, it does so in ways that are fantastical!
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