City of Night Birds

Kim (Beasts of a Little Land) weaves a dramatic tale of a Russian ballerina facing intense competition over the course of her career. Natalia Leonova, now in her mid-30s and living in Paris, hasn’t danced for two years after an unexplained accident. During a visit to her hometown of St. Petersburg, she runs into Dmitri Ostrovsky, an old enemy, who offers her the lead role in Giselle at the Mariinsky, but she’ll need much physiotherapy first. Kim alternates the present-day narrative with Natalia’s origin story, beginning with her successful audition at seven at the Vaganova ballet school, where she finds a happy home away from her seamstress single mother. At 18, she makes it into the Mariinsky company as a corps de ballet member. Later, after beating superstar Alexander Nikuliu at Moscow’s International Ballet Competition, the two thrill audiences as dance partners and find happiness as lovers until the revelation of an explosive secret, which Kim reveals late in the novel along with the details of Natalia’s accident. Some of the transitions between past and present can be confusing, but Kim offers an illuminating look into the backstage life of a ballerina and her dedication to her art. This will land with readers. Agent: Jody Kahn, Brandt & Hochman Literary. (Nov.)