A Dangerous Pas De Deux • Various Positions

Various Positions by Martha Schabas

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication Date: February 14, 2012

Source/Format: Netgalley (Thanks!) || e-galley
[I received this from the publisher. This in no way affects my review.]

Trapped between the hormone-driven world of her friends and the discontent of her dysfunctional family, fourteen-year-old Georgia is only completely at ease when she's dancing. When she is accepted into Canada's preeminent ballet school, Georgia thinks it is the perfect escape. Artistic Director Roderick Allen singles her out as a star, subjecting her to increasingly intensive training, and Georgia obsesses about becoming the perfect, disciplined student. But as she spends more and more time with Roderick, it's not so clear exactly what their relationship means. Is he her teacher and mentor, or is there something more? These blurred lines will threaten both Roderick's future at the academy and Georgia's ambitions as a ballerina.

If you see something awful about to happen, you often find you can’t look away. I think that’s the most accurate way to explain just how I felt about Various Positions – the novel made me uncomfortable while I read, but I couldn’t set it down without finding out how it all ended. The novel asked me to start thinking about things, which is probably why I was able to stick with it all the way until the end.

The Character

We explore the entire novel through the eyes of Georgia Slade, the quintessentially restrained introvert. It often felt like she was living in a world of denial or a world she was making up inside her head. It was also frustrating to watch her give in to peer pressure over and over again; thankfully, she experiences a transformation and finally finds some courage in the end. The only thing I really could respect was her dedication to ballet, though I could never fully relate to her character.

The Story

Though it says so on the blurb, this book is not just about ballet. It focuses on various issues that can arise in the world of any teenager – body image, growing sexual awareness and parental problems, all set against a backdrop of ballet.

Actually, it is sex that is mentioned frequently in this novel, though the view of sex shifts back and forth from extremely naïve to surprisingly worldly. While becoming aware of your sexuality and the opposite gender is a normal part of growing up, I felt like sex and sexual urges were presented in an odd, alarming manner. If the story is to be taken as a sort of warning, then I guess I can let that bit pass.

Unfortunately, there appear to be no good relationships in the story, except maybe between Georgia and her half-sister Isabel. Seriously though, all the other relationships are disheartening, damaging and it just made me quite sad to read about them.

Personally, I say you should…

… be aware that there’s a lot of thoughts about sex and other issues in this novel should you choose to read it. It is in no way a light read, but if read with the right frame of mind, can serve as a starting point to think about how many issues, especially when it comes to body image, sex and familial relations, are addressed in real life.