Astounding debut novel for Lola Keeley; this book is a must read!
It feels like a gamble sometimes, choosing a new author's book over one written by a familiar or established author. Rest assured though that Lola Keeley's The Music and the Mirror is one totally worth the gamble. With the exception of a few typos in the text, there is nothing in the storytelling to reveal this as a debut novel and everything to love about a well crafted and engrossing story. It reads like the output of a seasoned pro and has me hoping more books are yet to come from this incredible writer.
This book was full of surprises in all the best ways: characters with distinctive personalities, a variety of relationships and relationship dynamics, top notch writing from beginning to end. All impressive and welcome elements to a story well researched and thought out that delves into the world of ballet, far beyond what is thought to be true about that profession and artistic pursuit, what it takes to make it, to rise to, and then to remain at, the top. Rivalries, jealousy, hero worship, politics all combine to create an underlying tension in the book like a razor sharp edge, where the stakes are gradually introduced to the reader and sometimes reiterated to reinforce the risks and personal costs associated with a career in ballet. There is so much more to the world of ballet than what you might already know or think you know.
It's a fascinating and thoroughly engrossing read and one that does not let up until the end, where there is no sure ending in sight along the way; I didn't expect that and kept waiting for the point in reading where I felt secure in knowing how it was all going to end and then could relax in that knowledge. Although it was jarring to be on edge for so long in the story and to have curve balls and surprises happen at the most unexpected times (and conversely not happen when you expect them to) it made reading that much more immersive and had me that much more emotionally invested in characters I didn't expect to root for or even like in the story. There are some sinister goings on and a layer of suspense that fits in well with the romance and action of the story, all well juggled and proportioned. There is also the smallest amount of fluff and some 'spit out your coffee' funny dialogue between characters that often comes of nowhere so maybe put your beverages out of reach while reading just to be on the safe side. A reading experience this satisfying just proves that new authors have stories to tell and can pull you in with the same skill as those with more published work under their belts, so take the chance on an unfamiliar name to find great work like this within the pages. I highly recommend this book and hope there is more to come in the near future from this remarkable author; they have whet my appetite for this kind of taut and thrilling storytelling.
(Reviewed April 2018)