Astonish Me

Author: Maggie Shipstead

Why You Should Read It: Part-homage and part-expose, Astonish Me is fierce glimpse into the punishing world of professional ballet. At the centre of the plot is Joan, a young ballet dancer who after helping a male ballet star, Arslan, realizes she will never be a prima ballerina or posses him the way she wants to romantically. Leaving ballet for good, Joan moves to California and gets married, and has a son, Harry. Realizing Harry is a prodigy, Joan finds herself pulled back to a world she thought she’d left behind.

Available April 8 at amazon.ca and chapters.indigo.ca