Astonish Me

In Astonish Me, author Maggie Shipstead presents a captivating exploration of the world of professional ballet through the life of Joan, a young American dancer who assists a Soviet ballet star, Arslan Rusakov, in defecting in 1975. As Joan navigates her brief rise to fame and a tumultuous love affair, she resigns herself to a life in the corps de ballet. After leaving the dance world to start a family in California, Joan is drawn back into the realm of ballet when her son Harry reveals prodigious talent. Shipstead's novel intertwines themes of ambition, the nature of talent, and the sacrifices made in pursuit of artistic fulfillment.