Maya & Natasha - by Elyse Durham (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Engrossing historical fiction...A touching, thrilling heartbreak for any reader." --USA Today

This stunning debut novel set in the fascinating world of Cold War Soviet ballet follows the fates of twin sisters whose bond is competitive, complicated, but never broken.

Maya and Natasha are twin sisters born in the midst of the Siege of Leningrad in 1941 and immediately abandoned by their mother, a prima ballerina at the Kirov Ballet who would rather die than not dance. Taken in by their mother's best friend at the Kirov, the girls are raised to be dancers themselves. The Vaganova Ballet Academy--and the totalitarian Soviet regime--is the only world they know.

In 1958, now seniors at the Vaganova at the height of the Cold War, all Maya and Natasha and their classmates want is to dance with the Kirov, and to join the company on its tour to America next year. But a new law from the Kremlin upends Maya and Natasha's lives: due to fears of defection, family members may no longer travel abroad together. The Kirov can only accept one of them.

Maya, long accustomed to living in her sister's shadow, accepts her bitter fate, until a new dance partner inspires her to dream bigger and practice harder. For the first time--and at the cruelest possible moment--the sisters are equally matched. And then one sister betrays the other, altering their lives forever and splitting them in two, though neither will stray far from the other's orbit.

As one of the twins pursues her ballet career and experiences a world outside Russia for the first time, the other is cast in an epic film adaptation of War and Peace, produced and financed by the Soviet State. As the Cold War heats up, Maya and Natasha must confront their loyalties: to East versus West; to the government that saved them versus their dreams of freedom; and, always, to each other.

Review Quotes

"A moving and beautifully told tale about love, betrayal, and two sister ballerinas, trying to make art in the Soviet Union during the Cold War, sacrificing each other in the fires of their own ambitions. I couldn't put it down!" - Katya Apekina, author of Mother Doll and The Deeper the Water the Uglier the Fish

"Elyse Durham can do anything, and this book has everything: Maya & Natasha is both a lovingly observed novel about two sisters and a gripping, immersive leap through nearly thirty years of history, with plenty of insights into ambition, art, betrayal, and what it means to love--a person, a country, an art form, one's own body--along the way. This debut is a smart, moving, page-turning delight." - Caitlin Horrocks, author of Life Among the Terranauts

"Brilliantly, Maya & Natasha explores the impossible choices at the intersection where love and obligation collide with a gifted artist's hunger to reach the heights of success. What and who do we sacrifice for our art, and what remains in the wake of such aspirations? Elyse Durham's debut, set at the height of the Cold War and within the elite worlds of ballet and filmmaking, is a gorgeous book and one that I will cherish forever." - David Haynes, author of Martha's Daughter

"With verve and drama, Durham draws us into the swirl of Soviet dancers, defectors, filmmakers, and politicians. "Maya & Natasha" is an eloquent and timely reminder about the toll of authoritarianism, the corrosive effect of selfishness, and the hunger for forgiveness." - Christian Science Monitor

"Engrossing historical fiction...Set in the backdrop of the Cold War, this novel is perfect for ballet lovers but a touching, thrilling heartbreak for any reader." - USA Today

"Incredibly accurate...[Durham's] knowledge and expertise was a joy to discover." - Critical Dance

"What an enthralling story of twin sisters as they navigate the Soviet world of ballet and its loyalties, resentments, satisfactions, and betrayals--and what might await them beyond the world of dance. Boldly imagined and meticulously researched, this story commanded my attention from its dramatic opening to its gorgeous conclusion. Elyse Durham is a graceful, astute storyteller, and her debut is an elegant and moving page-turner. - Natalie Bakopoulos, author of Scorpionfish

"Twin sisters born at the same time as the Soviet Union both pursue dance training at the feeder school for the great Kirov Ballet...Durham's careful writing about dualities feels like delicate choreography." - Los Angeles Times

"Heartrending, elegantly told, and full of fascinating detail about the worlds of professional dance and Soviet-era daily life, Durham's debut is a stunning ballet of love, loss, and unbreakable loyalty." - Shelf Awareness

"No one can possibly imagine what's ahead in this novel's tornado of a plot... eye-catching." - Kirkus Reviews

"An attention-grabbing debut novel...The omniscient perspective creates a truly cinematic experience as it swoops among the sisters and many fictional and historical characters...in this riveting tale about sisterhood and the purpose of art." - Booklist

"Elyse Durham's talent is already on full display in this elegantly rendered debut about the bonds of sisterhood, love, loyalty, and betrayal set against the brutal backdrop of the Cold War. An epic page-turner rife with rich historical detail and dazzling sentences, Maya & Natasha is a book in which to lose yourself." - Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We Keep

"Bravo, bravo, and flowers to the stage for this fascinating epic story of Cold War Russian ballet dancers. Using fact and fiction, Maya & Natasha shocks and compels from its dramatic opening scene during the siege of Leningrad to the final gesture, just before the closing curtain. A novel about being the best at one's art by a writer at the best of hers." - Debra Spark, author of Discipline

"Elyse Durham's historical debut is as beautiful and brutal as ballet itself. .... Durham weaves a stunning tapestry of Maya and Natasha's intertwining lives over the tension-filled decades of post-Stalinist Russia, in a story of unthinkable choices, devastating betrayal, shattered dreams, and the all-consuming desire both to live and to dance. It's been a long time since I loved a novel as much as I loved this one. Maya & Natasha is a must-read for all historical fiction fans--and for anyone looking for a book that will sweep them off their feet. Absolutely extraordinary. - Kristen Loesch, author of The Last Russian Doll

"Durham soars as a storyteller in this impeccably researched novel about the complicated bond between sisters, set in the world of post-war Soviet ballet. Against a backdrop of historic events, with gothic hints of Russian folktale, the novel is both large in scope and an intimate portrayal of twin orphans coming of age and coming to terms with their own desires. Maya & Natasha is an assured and spellbinding debut." - Rae Meadows, author of Winterland

"Epic in scope, Elyse Durham's Maya & Natasha crafts a gorgeous homage to the classic Russian novel as it unravels the ambition, desperation and jealousy entwined through both sisterhood and art. Rich with atmosphere and historical detail, heartfelt and wise, this is a book to savor." - Julia Fine, author of Maddalena and the Dark