The Dancing Other

by Suzanne Dracius, Nancy Naomi Carlson (Translation), James Davis (Translation)

The Dancing Other takes readers to France and Martinique to reveal the struggles of people who belong both places, but never quite feel at home in either. Suzanne Dracius tells the story of Rehvana, a woman who feels she is too black to fit in when living in mainland France, yet at the same time not dark-skinned enough to feel truly accepted in the Caribbean. Her sense of dislocation manifests itself at first in a turn to a mythical idea of Mother Africa; later, she moves to Martinique with a new boyfriend and thinks she may have finally found her place—but instead she is soon pregnant, isolated, and lonely. Soon her only reliable companion is her neighbor, Ma Cidalise, who regales her in Creole with supernatural tales of wizards. Rehvana, meanwhile, watches her dream of belonging fade, as she continues to refuse to accept her multicultural heritage.

256 pages, Hardcover

Published December 15, 2018

Reviews

[Blair (Patchwork Culture) · Rating 4 out of 5]

What at first seems like a satire becomes truly tragic in the end when juxtaposed with reports of similar events in the real world.

The Dancing Other is the convoluted story of Rehvana's disillusionment and dissatisfaction with her place in the world: an Antillean woman in France, a mademoiselle from "The Other Side" in Martinique, a woman displaced from Africa.

The writing style was hard to follow, but there were some shining passages that stood out in the mix. I can't hate because I looked up and learned a lot of new words.

[Kanye Waldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely brilliant work. I was utterly hypnotized, following the protagonist across the settings of France and Martinique. I couldn't turn away from this narrative, the protagonist's struggle to fit into different racial demographics and cultural identities. Again, I just couldn't turn away until I finished the book.

[Lanie Tankard · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review in the Spring issue of WORLD LITERATURE TODAY:

https://www.worldliteraturetoday.org/...