Chenée Marrapodi, One Wrong Turn, Freemantle Press, July 2023, 288 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760992439
Fourteen-year-old, Amelia’s whole world revolves around ballet. She is determined to be a professional ballerina and, having ex-ballet dancers for parents, only builds on her dedication for dance. Amelia is ambitious, talented, and confident that she will be selected for the lead role of upcoming performance of Cinderella with the elite Perth Ballet Academy. Amelia practices ballet every day—at the ballet school and at home where her parents have built Amelia her own studio. This singular focus on dance comes at a price for Amelia who has no time for friendships or interest in fun outings with other girls her age. There is nothing Amelia will not do to ensure her success.
When Valentina joins the Ballet Academy, she proves herself to be a remarkably talented dancer. Her ballet routines are exceptionally rendered, which causes a ‘threat’ to the status quo of the Academy where Amelia is regarded as the top dancer. But Valentina does not have the privileges that Amelia has, nor the self-confidence. Valentina and her family have recently arrived in Perth from Calabria, a southern town in Italy where traditional customs are still adhered to and family obligation is paramount. As Valentina struggles with an unfamiliar language, a new country, and a vastly different style of ballet school, she continues to work toward becoming a professional ballerina. Unfortunately, Valentina’s family deem ballet to be a hobby, insisting her focus must be her school studies and commitment to her extended Italian family.
One Wrong Turn by Chenée Marrapodi is a wonderfully engaging book—a page-turner in its suspenseful structure—presenting a range of teenage challenges with insight, understanding and wisdom. It is no surprise that the main characters, Amelia and Valentina will be competing for the major role in the ballet performance however this story is so much more than ambitious rivalry, divided loyalties and catty unkindness that can be encountered in early teenage years. Both girls face their own battles toward success, and each experience stress and anxiety. Marrapodi demonstrates great insight into Amelia and Valentina’s relationships within their families, between friends and within the ballet school culture. The expectations that Amelia must fulfil to satisfy her parents who almost smother her with their intense encouragement contrasts with Valentina’s situation in which she is expected to follow the traditional role of an Italian woman while she desperately wants to pursue a career in ballet.
In addition to a ‘great read’, Marrapodi must be commended for her ability to cleverly balance detailed explanations of dance routines and ballet steps without distracting from the characters’ plight and the drama of the story. The highs and lows of all the characters are beautifully written with empathetic approachable language which connects readers to the complexities of these young lives; situations which many will relate to, regardless of context. This delightful book kept me interested from start to finish. One Wrong Turn is a book about ballet and so much more than.
Reviewed by Jennifer Mors
