Dark Turns

Nursing a severely strained Achilles tendon and a shattered heart, ballerina Nia Washington, the heroine of Holahan’s suspenseful but melodramatic first novel, believes a year teaching dance at Wallace Academy will be just what the doctor ordered. Shortly after her arrival at the posh Connecticut girls’ school, however, the dean takes her on a tour of the campus, including the lake, where they discover the body of a 15-year-old student. This is but a harbinger of the twisted passions and pure evil to come. Holahan nails the preppy ambience, the cliques, the conspicuous consumption, and the coltish beauties such as golden girl Aubrey Byrne, who flirts with English teacher Peter Andersen, Nia’s budding new beau. But Holahan is less interested in delving beneath the glossy surface and showing, for instance, just what drives Nia to dance, love, or anything else. In the end, this Black Swan pas de deux with Tartt’s The Secret History proves to be a reflection of the dancers it showcases: elegant but thin. [em]Agent: Paula Munier, Talcott Notch. (Nov.) [/em]