Dancing on Knives
- Published: 2 June 2014
- ISBN: 9780857983473
- Imprint: Random House Australia
- Format: EBook
- Pages: 320
The metaphor that holds this decidedly atmospheric novel together is that of the Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. In this cruel fairytale, the Little Mermaid may have the young Prince but the price she pays is horrific – she will be able to walk but every step she takes will be like ‘‘stepping on sharp knives’’ and her tongue is also cut out. Such is the price she must pay for love. Implicit here is the pain that the novel’s heroine must carry as she tries to overcome the pervading fears that haunt her life. I really enjoy the fact that Kate Forsyth can take a contemporary Australian setting, a dairy farm on the NSW coast with an old family home on it, and turn it into a world of seething passions, intense mystery, romance, magic and – let’s not forget – a murder or two. First written when Forsyth was 16, Dancing on Knives has been revised several times. And although the novel has been smoothed out, it still retains the instinctive protectiveness the author feels for her tender and oh-so-vulnerable heroine.
Dianne Dempsey, The Sydney Morning Herald
A surprising combination of family drama, murder mystery and love story. Lyrical and exhilarating. Sara’s journey is striking as she faces her fears and moves on; she is a heroine of the modern order.
Johanna de Wever, Australian Book Review
Family saga, fable and whodunit all rolled into a vivid and lyrical whole.
Elizabeth Knox