Astonish Me

Joan Joyce has left her broken heart and everything she knew in New York City and settled in to a quiet family life in suburban California. But the past is not finished with her yet: before her eyes her son Harry is growing up to be the dancer she could never be. Pulled back into the glamorous, unforgiving world she had left far behind, Joan must confront the decisions she made long ago, and the choices that shaped the lives of those she loves most.
‘Beautifully written, a top-class novel set in a fascinating world’ Louisa Young, Observer

‘Brims with emotion … an accomplished novel embracing both domestic drama and the competitive quest for perfection’ Sunday Times

‘So graceful, so dazzling, so sure-handed and fearless, that at times I had to remind myself to breathe’ Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette

‘I will be paying close attention to Shipstead’s career from here on in’ Jeffrey Eugenides

‘A bravura display of high-performance art, the only constant its quest for perfection’ Catherine Taylor, Guardian

‘Very well-written, and cleverly constructed with some elegant pirouettes of its own in the story’s twists and turns’ Daily Mail

‘Passionate, gripping and wise about the human heart. One of those wonderful books that leave you bereft yet completely satisfied’ Lucie Whitehouse, author of Before We Met

‘Shipstead is shaping up as a master storyteller’ Financial Times

‘Brilliantly written; the first ballet novel for grown-ups’ The Times