Skyline Dancing

by Linda Effinger

For Jacob, this is the last night of his life, a life consumed by anxiety and uncertainty, isolation and depression. Tonight will be the end of that, Jacob has decided that days ago. But before he leaves forever, he goes to see his favourite ballet Swan Lake for a last time. When he comes out of it, everything is different. Enchanted by the prima ballerina Sonja and her breath-taking performance, he does something reckless; he says yes to a date. But dating is already hard when you don’t have panic attacks to deal with, and something about Sonja makes it even worse. The rules and techniques that kept his life just barely together are falling apart, and soon even his neighbour and best friend Ellen notices. Jacob is in way over his head and grows increasingly stressed and desperate as he is bounced between Sonja’s strange allure, Ellens reliance on his support and his own crumbling mind. A story of friendship and love, battling your own mind and overcoming solitude.

156 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2020