The cult series that you’ve probably never heard of
The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic x Grand Vin Rosé, Chateau La Coste
I’m going to guess that most people here missed publication day for The Sunshine Court by Nora Sakavic. The unexpected fourth novel in the All For The Game (AFTG) series hasn’t exactly been the stuff of headlines. You won’t have read reviews in mainstream media. You won’t have seen launch videos on Twitter or Instagram. You won’t find interviews with the author. In fact, if you aren’t part of what might seem like a very niche part of the internet, you’ll likely have never heard of this series at all.
And yet in March this year, a special hardback edition of the series was sold on Rainbow Crate, a book box subscription and online community. Costing just under $120 plus shipping, this run still managed to outsell some of the biggest books featured over the years - including the internationally renown Percy Jackson series - with over 5,000 copies sold. From what I understand of book publishing, that sort of number can push you into bestseller territory. And just days after the e-book of The Sunshine Court became available on Amazon, it’s already on the Kindle bestseller list.
The nutshell summary of the ‘All for the Game’ trilogy so far (ie. The Foxhole Court, The Raven King, The King’s Men) is that it tells the story of Neil Josten, a young man with a troubled past who joins the fictional Palmetto State University’s exy team, the Foxes. On the run from his violent past (specifically his father’s criminal empire), Neil needs to keep his identity secret while navigating the complexities of his new team, which is full of players with similarly complex and dark pasts. As the series progresses, Neil finds a family in his new team and romance with the team’s misunderstood goalie, Andrew Minyard.
It’s a series about trust, trauma, found family, and freedom - but I’m not going to judge anyone for not reading this series. As you can likely tell from my synopsis, it’s a weird one. It has a lot going on. Made up college sports (exy - a ‘bastard sport’ that comes across like the quirky lovechild of lacrosse and shinty). The mafia (more specifically the yakuza in… Baltimore). A queer, slow-burn romance.
It’s also one of those series that a lot of people accuse of being poorly written with one breath only to rave review the characters and plot with the next.
Because Nora Sakavic - a nom-de-plume - is a phenomenal storyteller. She nails it when it comes to having a fast-paced plot driven by both external factors (looming threats, vicious families, the sport season) as well as the emotional development of the characters (chosen families, truths shared with cigarettes, love that reaches out slowly, slowly, and never let’s go). She also managed to capture one of the most interesting and genuine explorations of what consent truly is through her characters. It was this that made me keep reading in the first place, and then rereading, and then recommending the books. As over-the-top as the series may seem, it’s also clever, propulsive and thought-provoking.
The Sunshine Court is a little different. In some ways, it could be seen as a first novel in a new series, albeit set in the same universe. The problem is it doesn’t quite work as a standalone. Even though it’s the first time Neil Josten isn’t the protagonist, characters from the first three books are recurrent and important. It also picks up pretty much smack in the middle of the third book - only this time we’re experiencing it from the perspective of Jean Moreau. Moreau is another young man with a tragic past that we encounter in the first series as a player for a rival team, The Evermore Ravens. However, he’s recently been rescued from his cruel, cult-like circumstances and we’re now invited to follow his transfer to a new college in LA. Here he joins the titular ‘Sunshine Court’, AKA The Trojans, and begins on a journey of recovery.
Once again, Sakavic succeeds in creating incredibly convincing characters and explores hurt, healing, revenge, and redemption. Moreau’s story is heartbreaking and as the layers of what he’s gone through emerge, it becomes all too clear how far he has to go. We also meet Jeremy Knox, his new captain - the tendrils of his story are just being laid out. Already, the AFTG fandom is going mad with speculation about things like family background and what he’s hiding from Moreau and the possibility of another ship. We also see great tenderness in the new friendships that Moreau is forming and it’s lovely to see platonic affection represented the way it is in The Sunshine Court.
I think part of the success of these books comes down to the fact that Sakavic is simply the queen of the ‘show, don’t tell’ rule. You’ll never find yourself bombarded with exposition. Every motivation, secret, hope, and horror in the books is something that you go through alongside the protagonist - whether that’s Josten or Moreau. Combine it with the lack of intrusive authorial omniscience and their voices become two of the most effective unreliable narrators in Young / New Adult fiction. It’s this which makes her books so easy to talk about too, why so many people want to speculate and engage online. Sakavic lays seeds that you know are going to grow into something huge eventually, leaves us with just enough to start guessing. I find it incredibly impressive and I really can’t wait for book five.
So tell me, have you heard of All For The Game? Will you be reading it now?
If mafia sports aren’t for you, fair enough. But if you’re a fan of found families, slow-burns, angst and healing, then this might be the series for you. You can even pair it with a delicious rosé from just outside Marseille. Read on for my reasonings on this week’s pairing.
The Pairing: Grand Vin Rosé, Chateau La Coste, Aix-en-Provence (Grenache, Syrah)
Whilst I initially considered a bigger-bodied red, perhaps one that you’d traditionally pair with a juicy lamb leg or an epic cheese plate - the fact is that this book isn’t heavy in the way of something like… A Little Life or Demon Copperhead. For all weighty topics, it’s still a story with fake sports and teenagers that can take out a mafia hit on someone from a rival sports team.
The fact is that in many ways, this is a book that’s still fun and funny and warm and hopeful. So our pairing needs to be something that’s easy drinking but that also isn’t too light to go up against themes that are darker. We want a wine with subtleties, perhaps a bit more body that you’re expecting but which is still incredibly drinkable. I also couldn’t resist the temptation to look at the South of France for inspiration given The Sunshine Court follows the Marseille-born Jean Moreau. Admittedly, I wasn’t quite sure if I currently had anything in my wine rack that fit all this - but I shouldn’t have doubted myself.
The Wine: Today I’ve gone for a Provence rosé in honour of our protagonist - one that perhaps stands out for being more complex, biodynamic, and having more body than typical rosés from the region - our Grand Vin Rosé is a really excellent wine from Chateau la Coste. Based just outside of Marseille, this is the top wine in their range. The grapes are from the oldest and best vines planted on the estates highest altitude plots, which gives it the complexity and structure that we want to go with our novel. Whilst I remember the winemaker telling us that this wine was partially aged in second use French oak, I couldn’t see this when I went back to check its information. Saying that, you’ll almost certainly taste it in the wine so onwards we go to the notes…
Tasting Notes: Rich with creamy texture and generously fruity, this wine is bone dry but expressive. A crisp acidity balances with the notes of stone fruits, red berries, citrus, white flowers, and provides backbone to this medium-bodied rosé. There’s definitely some iodine and aniseed on the nose, which you get again on the finish. You’re going to find this wine more complex than your average rosé - it’s not the pure crisp minerality that I typically favour, and there’s definitely a longer finish. But it’s a good wine. It’s incredibly drinkable. And it’ll go well with meatier fish dishes like monkfish and mullet too.
Where can I buy it: Go straight to the vineyard to check out their range.
Fun facts: I visited the vineyard last year and did a little rosé tasting. In the mix were the (in)famous labels: Lady A and Lady K. These are most famous for being wines creates for Soho House and having Damien Hirst label designs. I have to say, I think I preferred the Rosé d’une Nuit (considered the Domaine’s most historic wine) but it was fun to learn more about marketing wine for export wines.