Our Lives as Kites (Paperback) by Marius Hancu

What makes an artist tick, go on and, to use the dirty word, create? We enter the world of ballet through Yvonne Fillon, a one-time soloist ballerina who is on a journey of self-discovery in rough waters. We enter it during one of her days out in the outdoors, when she launches a kite and takes in everything from the wind and the clouds as a source for inspiration. For, at the onset of middle age, she attempts to cross over into the even more competitive world of choreography, her lifeline to staying in ballet. When, years later, success in this endeavor comes her way, it would seem strange to her that others envy her, either for her loves or for her dance pieces, for she knows the toll. Still, Cain strikes. A Buildungsroman and a Künstlerroman in one, this is an impressionistically told, character-driven novel.