Book Recommendation: When We Danced on Water

When We Danced on Water

Evan Fallenberg

Fiction

Harper Perennial, $14.99, 256p, ISBN: 978-0062033321

Also available digitally for Kindle and Nook

From the publisher: At eighty-five, Teo is ready to retire from the bombast and romance of life as one of the world’s most influential choreographers. But when he meets Vivi, a fortyish waitress at a Tel Aviv café, the fires of his youth flare back to life—his passion for a woman’s touch, his long-buried anguish at his wartime experiences, and his complex engagement with dance. Vivi’s life will change, too, as the warmth of Teo’s affection counterbalances her harrowing time as an Israeli soldier in an illicit relationship. For both, their investment in art, and indeed in life itself, will reawaken as the ghosts of their suppressed pasts—from Warsaw to Copenhagen, Berlin to Tel Aviv—cry out for forgiveness and healing.

With lustrous prose capturing the grit and fury of history and the breathtaking power of passion, When We Danced on Water is a compelling novel of intimacy and identity, art and ambition, and how love can truly transcend tragedy.

---

Evan Fallenberg's When We Danced on Water is my favorite book so far in 2011, and the best work of fiction I've read in nearly a year. As a professional critic, I read a great deal, and as a result it's rare that I love a book. I love this one, and it's a good fit for a family of Jews because both protagonists live in Israel. That's not the reason for my strong recommendation, though, which instead derives from Fallenberg's elegant prose and precise writing. That precision allows him to write with great fluidity, and to create out of a character-driven story a emotionally gripping narrative. I've already written about the book on my personal blog, and rather than trying to paraphrase myself, let me simply share an excerpt:

The book features an 85-year-old choreographer, so indulge my using that as a metaphor for Fallenberg's writing. Just as a choreographer can capture the fluidity and emotionality of a piece of music and dance, so does this author. Just as a dance features moments of different tempos and varies in boldness and strength, so does Fallenberg write with a pin-point focus, creating a similar fluidity and elegance.

In a couple of scenes his lead character explains how he sees and feels music in his head. While a beautiful concept, it did not fit my experience of music. I wanted needed to understand it better because it was conveyed with such beauty. As music is so integral to his being, I read those passages aloud to my husband, who seemed surprised when I asked if he understood what Fallenberg's character was trying to explain. "Of course," he said matter-of-factly, as though everybody experienced music in that way.

From the publisher's description one might assume that the book focuses on a May-December romance. It doesn't. Fallenberg's story is rich in history and art, pulling readers into the emotionality of obsession, tragedy, and—eventually—hope. When We Danced on Water offers an intelligent, evocative, and altogether beautiful reading experience. I hope you'll sit down with it, then share your thoughts and feelings with other family members.

~Laurie