By Alice Turing
This novel is deliciously different. It is ambitious in its storytelling and poignantly beautiful in its writing.
As I read it, I found the story incredible and intensely believable at the same time. The narrative requires the reader to take huge leaps into a world where very strange things happen, but because the main character, Henrietta, is so real the reader believes so strongly in her that everything that happens makes sense just because it’s happening to her.
In ‘Dance Your Way To Psychic Sex’ Alice Turing has created an intricate and satisfying story. On one level the novel is about the New Age sensation of Psychic Dancing and as such raises questions about truth, reality and illusion. But on another level it is about raw human emotion and the ways in which people can harm and heal each other. Both these strands make for compelling reading.
The story is carried by a strong cast of characters. All are complex and flawed, but equally, all are appealing. From the crooked-toothed Denzel to the persistent Tawny, the characters are engaging and three-dimensionally tangible.
The setting of the novel in Hebden Bridge is inspired. Light touches of description like, ‘The houses clamber above one another like turtles leaving a pond’ set the scene beautifully and if Psychic Dancing is going to happen anywhere, then Hebden Bridge is the place.
The writing sparkles with vivid imagery and clever choice of words. This description of Henrietta eating a biscuit shows the marvellous use of language. ‘She imagines clouds of sugar swirling inside her mouth, little eddies and sweet spots circulating and surrounding her teeth.’ The novel is full of similar wonderful nuggets of description.
If you want to read a novel that will entertain you and make you think, this one is for you. There is refreshing originality in the writing and the subject matter is gloriously unusual.
Reviewed by Helen M Hunt
This book is being launched in a very different way. If you are interested in reading it – and I do recommend it – go and check out the website here.
