The Piece deals with difficult, sensitive subjects in potentially disturbing ways. It contains instances of profanity, sexual violence, and physical violence. It is not recommended for individuals under the age of eighteen or for those who may find the above offensive and/or objectionable.
The Pas de Deux: A Classical Ballet Romance and The Winner: A Ballroom Dance Novel by author Erin Bomboy are suggested for those who prefer clean reads (little to no profanity, sexual situations, and/or physical violence).
Their eyes met through the heat and glare as their hearts crisscrossed from stage to pit.
Only good things could happen.
Right?
Against the pitched backdrop of pointe shoes and bloody blisters, Elinor Roth confronts her decaying dream. She is unlikely to become a leading ballerina.
Longing for affection, she leaps into the arms of Jon Hansen, a seemingly nice music conductor. When the fling ends, Elinor abandons her stalling ballet career and moves to New York.
The city's contemporary dance scene stirs her imagination, and she enters into a showcase that will launch her as a visionary choreographer.
Unable to forget Elinor, Jon joins her and struggles to become a composer. Soon, he grows dependent on Elinor for inspiration and alarmed by her dwindling affection.
Determined to keep Elinor as his muse, Jon devises a plan to take her away from dance. When she uncovers his deceit, Elinor must decide how far she will blur the line between life and art.
Acutely dark, brutal, and provocative, The Piece explores the manipulation of honesty, the perpetuation of trauma, and artistic obsession. Designed for readers who appreciate moral complexity, the novel combines the dance setting of Black Swan with the domestic noir of The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.
"A compellingly vivid story highly recommended for romance readers seeking more depth from their stories than most romance genre novels offer."
Midwest Book Review
Author Interview
Why did you write The Piece?
I wanted to draw attention to a situation that negatively and disproportionately affects women as well as to point out the failures of the response that society offers.
What does morally complex mean?
I don't see morality as a binary of absolutes. Morality can be intricate, nuanced, and messy. Fiction is one of the most perfect art forms to interrogate morality due to the access to a character's internal dialogue.
Is there any special significance to the protagonists' names?
To emphasize the music and dance theme, I originally gave Elinor the name Melody, but that seemed too on the nose. I went with Elinor instead because it sounds like an arpeggio, which is when the three notes of a chord are played are played in a rising or descending order. As for Jon, I wanted the most stalwart, manly name available.
About the Author: A native of Richmond, Virginia, Erin Bomboy trained as a classical ballet dancer before spending a decade as a professional competitive ballroom dancer. She holds an MFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter where she works as a writer, editor, and teacher in the dance field. In her free time, Erin enjoys bacon, books, cats, and wine.
She is the author of The Piece A Contemporary Ballet Novel and The Winner A Ballroom Dance Novel. Her next novel, titled The Pas de Deux A Classical Ballet Romance, will explore the relationship between a ballerina at the end of her career and the much-younger dancer with whom she falls in love. Taking the shape of a traditional pas de deux, it will premiere in 2018. Visit her at erinbomboy.com to learn more.
