Narrated by the funny, insightful Kate–a professional dancer whose fellow ballerina and sister left their company under mysterious circumstances–The Cranes Dance is an edgy, provocative, and ultimately touching story of the complex ties of sisterhood, the demands of an intense vocation, and our responsibility to those we love. A VINTAGE ORIGINAL PAPERBACK.
I threw my neck out in the middle of Swan Lake last night.
So begins the tale of Kate Crane, a soloist in a celebrated New York City ballet company who is struggling to keep her place in a very demanding world. At every turn she is haunted by her close relationship with her younger sister, Gwen, a fellow company dancer whose career quickly surpassed Kate’s, but who has recently suffered a breakdown and returned home.
Alone for the first time in her life, Kate is anxious and full of guilt about the role she may have played in her sister’s collapse. As we follow her on an insider tour of rehearsals, performances, and partners onstage and off, she confronts the tangle of love, jealousy, pride, and obsession that are beginning to fracture her own sanity. Funny, dark, intimate, and unflinchingly honest, The Cranes Dance is a book that pulls back the curtains to reveal the private lives of dancers and explores the complicated bond between sisters.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Imprint: Random House USA Inc
Publication date: 15/05/2012
Series: Vintage Contemporaries
The Cranes Dance
by Meg Howrey
Review by Alex
I read this book on a whim after a long string of highly anticipated, yet mediocre novels. I had no idea who the author was, no real interest in it and didn't have much hope for it. It is the best book I have read in months. The writing is beautiful and descriptive but not bogged down overcomplicated. The use of words is complete and perfect, precise yet fluid. Just like ballet itself. I could compare The Cranes Dance to Black Swan and that would be accurate, but also completely inadequate. Howrey blends genres so seamlessly you don't even realise she's done it. Slice of life, literary fiction, psychological thriller and a few others are all woven into one beautiful piece. Not a stitch out of place. This book is long, but not heavy. It's the only story of a ballerina that has ever felt real. There is no romanticism of the craft, no drawn-out explanations on the beauty of the art form. Just a woman, Kate, working a job she enjoys and living life as best she can while her family falls apart. The Cranes Dance feels lived in, not observed. Timeless, like it could be read in the 1980's or the 2040's and still be as relevant and feel full it is today. If you couldn't tell, I really like this book. There are too many characters to keep track of though, but there is an entire ballet company to write about so that can be forgiven.
Trigger warnings: Suicide, mental health struggles/distress, psychosis, mild mention of disordered eating.
