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A review by lauren_soderberg
The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

4.0

The Ballerinas is, at its core, a story about relationships and how they evolve and change as time moves forward and circumstances change. It’s also a story about womanhood, what that looks like and what that means, especially in a context where the bodily autonomy of the female characters in this book is threatened in various ways.

The narrative focuses on Delphine, a former soloist with the Paris Opera Ballet, who returns 14 years after her departure to choreograph a new ballet. Her childhood best friends, Lindsay and Margaux, are still dancing at the company, and Delphine’s return forces them all to grapple with their friendship dynamic and how they fit into each other’s lives all these years later. Delphine also has a secret that she fears may tear them all apart once again.

Where this book shines is in its compelling interrogation of relationships in their various iterations. The intricacies of female friendship, unrequited-turned-requited love, parent/child affiliation, simultaneous friendship and rivalry, and romantic relationships are all mined with the exacting and enthralling world of professional ballet as its backdrop. Flashback chapters are interspersed with what’s happening in the present, to a mostly effective end. It also unflinchingly examines some of the abuses that have been brought to light in this industry in the real world, and addresses them accordingly. I’ll echo what I’ve read in a few other reviews, that this isn’t really a thriller/mystery… it’s more general fiction/women's fiction. There are definitely a few secrets to be unearthed, but tonally it’s more meditative than it is mysterious.

The writing is compelling, and I found myself completely enthralled. This is a novel I’ll be thinking about for a while.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.