Author: Martha Schabas
Publisher: FSG
Publish Date: February 14, 2012
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Pages: 336
Source: Publisher
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.
Georgia has a God-given talent at ballet, and she has the opportunity of a lifetime dancing in a a prestigious ballet academy where she can live her dream. It's her escape from a crazy family and circle of friends she struggles to understand. It's the perfect chance for her to stand out and rise above it all, but something begins to creep into her focus. Roderick, her dance instructor, seems to find her a star, and there's something there. She can't quite put her finger on it, but it feels tangible and electric, and it could very well kill her career before it ever begins...as well as Roderick's future.
Guys, I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to ballerina books. I danced for about 12 years, but let me tell you; I'm built like a swimmer, not a dancer. So, I think I live vicariously through the actors in films and the characters in books. Needless to say, my veritable obsession made reading Various Positions by newcomer on the YA scene, Martha Schabas, a no-brainer. Written from the complex mind of a 14-year-old girl, this book is a no-holds-barred account of the bizarre hidden world of students and mentors, smothered by a mask of dancing, pointe shoes and competition. Written with a deftly unique hand, it's an insider's perspective on dysfunction, disorder and, frankly, chaos.
I can tell you right now that I've struggled with writing this review, but I feel that I need to put it up to almost wrap my head around what I just read. Various Positions is hyper-sexualized, extremely uncomfortable and disturbing. We're given a main character who, as a young teen, is painted as being very naive. Yet, somehow in her naivety, Georgia has stumbled across the allure of sex, and it seems to be the only thing that crosses the young girl's mind. Ever. She researches relationships between older men and young girls. She manipulates and deceives to get what she wants. She becomes nearly infatuated with an internet pornstar. The level of dysfunction in the novel was utterly appalling, and I have to admit I was rather horrified at the content within the pages. I was expecting a dance novel, and instead got a how-to book on disordered eating, inappropriate statutory relationships and near pedophilia, shrouded in a very thin veil of dance. Perhaps I missed the mark with this book, but I was hoping to see a development of relationships through the dysfunction, but only managed to watch Georgia and her classmates become more haggard and vulgar as the story progressed. If I'm being extraordinarily blunt, I don't really know what the theme or plot of the novel was because it felt so messy (in more ways than one).
I absolutely hate giving bad reviews because I know what authors put into their books, but I have be honest and say that Various Positions simply did not work for me. I'll even go so far as to say it is marketed towards the wrong audience, as I do not think the content is appropriate for the YA market. I give it a 1 out of 5, and I recommend it only to adult audiences who like issue-driven and disturbing contemporary novels.
I received this book free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.
Wow. That sounds...very weird. Such a good concept gone horribly wrong. Unfortunate.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the title of this book, I assumed there would be some sexualized content, but the summary didn't hint at it, so I was confused. I don't think this one is for me either.
ReplyDeleteAh, does not sounds like my cup of tea...at all. I do love the cover though. It looks like an ostrich :D
ReplyDeleteOh my - this absolutely doesn't sound YA at all! The cover is gorgeous, but when I first saw it I thought, "Oh! Melissa is reviewing an adult novel!" Turns out, I was mostly right. Despite the lovely cover, I definitely won't be reading this one. Thanks for a completely honest review!
ReplyDeletethe cover is so cute! I thought it was just a snarky innuendo with the title, so I was totally unprepared.
ReplyDeleteRight?! I love the cover, and I thought the title was just a silly play on words, but holy heck was I wrong! It was not ok for YA, in my opinion :/
ReplyDeleteI was a bit caught off guard, to be honest. I thought the title was a mere innuendo, so I was a bit thrown off lol
ReplyDeleteI understand how you feel about giving bad reviews -- I have the same reticience because I respect authors so much for what they put into their work and how they put themselves out there to be critiqued.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I do think you do a great service here by making clear what this book is -- and who is an appropriate audience.
I contemplated not reviewing here, but I think there's something to be said for clarifying the correct audience. Perhaps if it catered to a more adult crowd, I would find it less appalling? I'm not sure - either way, I would never let a teen of mine read it (not that I have any haha but still)
ReplyDeleteI love books about ballet, so when I saw this cover I thought it would totally be a book for me! I mean, the title is suggestive, but for a YA book the content seems a little extreme. Sorry you didn't enjoy this one, but thanks for the informative, honest review. :)
ReplyDeleteWow, and here I thought I was the only with my mind going to the gutter with that title. Thanks for the warning sign on this one. Definitely not for me regardless of audience. I don't think I can deal with those issues and not be scarred in the process.
ReplyDeleteNo, no, so not the book for me. it would be way too disturbing
ReplyDeleteI couldn't do it. However, I felt it was my responsibility to post about it because I had such an issue with it.
ReplyDeleteIt was extremely uncomfortable...and not "good" uncomfortable like a lot of issue books.
ReplyDeleteI felt like I should warn other YA readers, if only to give them a head's up! I encourage people to make their own decisions, but that's my humble opinion!
ReplyDeleteI have heard this about this book and been curious about not. Not sure if it's something I will pick up. Thanks for the great and honest review!
ReplyDeleteSqueak! I mean, I love dance-centric books (not that I'm at all graceful but dare to dream) but this one does not sound like one I want to read or put on my classroom bookshelves. Maybe if the main character was older? Fourteen seems very young to be delving deeply into sexuality in a book (not that some aren't active). I'm uncomfortable just thinking about it. This one's a no for me!
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing just from reading the blurb, and I too am obsessed with dance books and movies. It's a shame, but thanks for your honest review!
ReplyDeleteOkay! See, the author should have given a clearer blurb about the book. I have seen so many readers and reviews get blindsided by this book that borders on, if not crosses the line.
ReplyDeleteI understand things like this might happen to 14 year olds, but why not have made it a 19 year old and put it in the adult contemporary category.
I still can't decide if I want to read this book or not. I feel like I wouldn't be able to finish it. Ugh. I am just interested to see what it's like.
Wow-I requested a copy of this because I too love dance books. I was not expecting the things you mention and now I am very nervous to pick this up. Thank you for the warnings!
ReplyDelete