Synopsis:
Dance With Me is a standalone literary fantasy themed around surviving emotional trauma, discovering one’s self-worth, overcoming depression and the toxicity of self-imposed perfectionism. It is told through the story of a ceramic ballerina enchanted to life through elven magic, and is presented as a clean fairy tale fantasy.
Review:
To step through the pages of Dance with Me is to gain admission to a vastly metaphorical and ethereal world. Elvish magic may be responsible for the magic infused ballerina who drags us by the heart through the rhythmically sublime tale, but it is the human reader that will undergo the most reflective journey.
Where the porcelain ballerina is quite literally the dancing object of our eyes, it is human heart ache that steals the show. Spinning and twirling across the dancefloor as it mingles with moments of sheer and emotive beauty, acts of resilience and no small amount of inner denial.
Dance with me is a unique and memorable journey through human emotion. It comes replete with an emotive colour palette that will not fail to hit hard but a delivery that slips inside you with delicate grace.
There is an extra dimension to this surely, at least in part, biographical exploration of adoration, vanity, fragility and beauty in that we see the ballerina’s thoughts as she hastily scribbles them out on the page, leaving a trace of truly insightful transparency.
This device is used to such a level that I almost wondered why I’d not seen the technique before; it seems such an obvious use of the often-neglected strike -through function but maybe that’s down to the talent of Elliot and the inner conflict that she so generously allows us to witness.
There is a dreamlike tone to this whole story, at times reminding me of Alice in Wonderland reimagined by studio Ghibli or some other thought-provoking animation-based foray into a magical world, laced with analogies that speak to every one of us in different ways.
Although this is not your typical, battle-filled fantasy story, it has its own action set pieces. Scenes of heart pounding drama that force your heart to speed and thrash in its spiralling reverie, then settle, beaten and broken, both elated and anxious about the next time the dance takes you. This book is not my typical slice of the fantasy genre, but then there is very little about it that could be called typical. It is beautifully written with depth and dimension that will sing to you softly, but I insist you remain cautious, who knows what Dance with Me will choose to show you in the mirror.
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