First published 2021
Dara and Marie Durant have operated their mother's ballet studio for nearly twelve years, ever since their parents died in an accident. The sisters maintain strict routines at the Durant School of Dance. Marie handles the youngest dancers with her gentle approach. Dara drills the advanced students with exacting standards. Charlie, Dara's husband and their mother's former star pupil, manages the business side after dance injuries ended his performing career. The three move around each other in careful patterns that keep the studio running six days each week. Their system works until a mysterious accident happens just as Nutcracker season begins. An outsider enters their world during this intense period of preparation, competition, and performance pressure. This newcomer upsets the delicate equilibrium the trio has maintained. The sisters must navigate threats to their partnership while managing the demands of their most important annual production. Abbott examines the complex dynamics between the siblings and explores how family bonds intersect with questions of control and desire.
Genres: mystery, contemporary, thriller, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: family-dynamics, secrets
Setting: Durant School of Dance
Period: Nutcracker Season
340 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons