"She looked at him, and in a sudden stab and flash of realisation, saw him as one isolated, remote, a figure alone in a far place"
What they don't tell you when you're young is that there will come a time when experience dulls the senses somewhat. Much becomes predictable and mundane and that overwhelming sense of wonder at a world full of new experiences fades. Reading this rather quaint novel took me back to those days of endless anticipation. Where a dance is never just a dance, its a step towards never-ending possibility. These days a dance is more likely to be something of a solo endeavour, come to think of it, most things are.
Back to the novel and the protagonist is a delight. Perhaps that's because I can relate to having a better looking, more popular sibling - thankfully in my case of the opposite sex, so not in competition like Olivia and Kate. After spending copious hours at the hairdresser today I'm thankfully feeling a little less like scruffy Olivia ( the magic of an expert hairdresser ).
As a snapshot of seventeen, that awkward age between girl and woman, this novel is beautifully realised and I enjoyed it considerably more than other works by the same author. Some experiences are universal and timeless, only the circumstances change.
5 out of 5 dance cards are different to Tinder.
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