DANCING shows on TV have a lot to answer for.
The genre has possibly spawned this new novel, which is sure to appeal to dance devotees.
And it may even attract some new fans to the popular pastime.
- Dancing Backwards in High Heels, by Christine Darcas. Hachette Australia, rrp $32.
At 42, Madeleine Hutchinson feels invisible.
Having just arrived in Melbourne from Chicago with her husband and two children, she is keen to make a fresh start.
With her marriage failing and new friends hard to come by, she stumbles across a dance studio.
Madeleine begins to wonder if the studio has something to offer, as she struggles to get out of her rut.
She takes up dance lessons and soon begins to feel like a younger version of herself, not just a mother and a wife.
But her new passion throws up some interesting situations that make her question everything she holds dear.
Her dance instructor is young and attractive and she feels herself getting closer to him.
The relationship forces Madeleine to take stock of her life and work out who she really is and what she wants for herself and her family.
Author Christine Darcas is a passionate Latin dancer who last year reached the semi-finals of the Masters Division of the Australian Dancesport Championships.
Born and raised in the US, she now lives in Melbourne with her husband and two children.
Dancing Backwards in High Heels is an insightful exploration of one woman's journey of being a wife, mother and resident in a new country struggling with her identity.
