The Dancers Dancing

Eilis Ni Dhuibhne

A lovely book. It takes you back to when you were young and beginning to think about falling in love. Ireland may not be your background, but the feelings of guilt, embarrassment, shame and glory are just the same. Read this book and as you do, remember what it was like to be thirteen.

Extract

That night the schoolhouse throbs with sweet, scratched music and the thud of feet on floorboards. The yellow stream of sunlight is still hot, but that doesn't change anything. The ceili must go on. Everyone knows the dances perfectly by now and the ceili swings through its repertoire of six dances without a single hitch. The children hop and swing. Killer Jack operates the record player. Head-master Joe stands at the end of the room in his black suit, barking out the orders.

Gerry dances only once with Pauline, towards the end of the evening, to pay her back for her boldness during the day. She is furious but she smiles her sweetest smile and waves. 'See you tomorrow. Same time same place!'

Parallels