I finished Astonish Me quickly; it’s one of those books unfolds perfectly, and also one of those where the characters keep returning to you after you’ve finished reading.

If you’ve ever danced, or admired the innate talent and beauty, or fierce dedication of a professional dancer, this book will captivate you. Early in the book Jacob, one of the key non-dancer characters, remarks of his wife’s retirement from dancing, “He will miss seeing her onstage, displayed so beautifully at the front of all that darkness, and he will miss the mystery of her hours of class and rehearsal…” And indeed this sentence describes many of the characters: they study and create beauty, they exist outside of the lines of “normal” lives, and they sink into darkness frequently.

The story weaves in and out of the lives of the characters at different periods in their lives---like a dance, the patterns emerge gradually but pleasingly, and the writing is fluid (one of those books where you read a phrase, and think, “I should write that down—it’s profound, or just lovely.”)

Readers will love seeing Harry and Chloe’s relationship echo the earlier relationship of Arlsan and Joan, and will enjoy the quirkiness and unique flourishes of Elaine and Mr. K, and many of the supporting characters. Every character in the book is deeply touched by dance, and every one sacrifices something vital to dance as well.

The ending is a bit neat, but by the time I reached that point, I was so engaged in the characters and the stories—in rooting them on---that it was only a slight indulgence.

This book is an April Indie Next selection (as one of the best books published in April, selected by independent booksellers), and was included in the most recent edition of the Publishers Lunch Buzz Book (a compilation of the best upcoming books of the season). It deserves both honors, and I can’t wait to see how it is received by a wider audience.

PS. What a simple, but fabulous title name.