Today’s review is about MAYA & NATASHA by Elyse Durham. It’s a historical fiction set in early Soviet era Russia. Twin sisters Maya and Natasha both hope to graduate and become ballerinas at the Kirov Ballet. But a set of circumstances results in one sister trying to change fate, which upends both their lives.
Author: Elyse Durham
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Mariner Books
Publish Date: February 18, 2025
Print Length: 384
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Maya & Natasha Synopsis
Synopsis
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.
Maya & Natasha Review
I received a free, digital, advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is my own and reflects my honest opinion about this book.
MAYA & NATASHA follows the titular twins as they finish their senior year at the Kirov Ballet. Each has the ambition to officially join the Kirov as a a ballerina. Unfortunately, that year the Kremlin decrees only one family member can travel abroad at any one time. This, paired with the fact that there are less spaces to fill at the Kirov, means only one sister has the chance for acceptance at the Kirov. Competition leads to betrayal, altering their lives to come.
From a distance, MAYA & NATASHA is a story about the effects wartime and abandonment have on future generations. Their mother, Elizaveta, was a ballerina who was eventually kicked out when she became too obviously pregnant. Despondent at the loss of her passion, she chooses death after giving birth during the Siege of Leningrad. Although Maya and Natasha have a relatively healthy upbringing, the country is in the full swing of Communism by the time they come of age in 1958. And while everything they do is for the pride of their country, that doesn’t mean jealousy and competition go by the wayside.
Additionally, this is also a book about becoming your own person and either going with or trying to change fate. For most of their lives Maya and Natasha saw themselves as a a singular unit. This worked well when they were younger, but growing older means wanting more independence. It also means grappling with thoughts and feelings that cause guilt. There are lots of teenage emotions and selfishness that lead to rash decisions that change the course of their lives.
One twin ultimately travels the world with the Kirov Ballet. The other finds herself acting in the Soviet State-sponosored adaptation of War and Peace. Neither is in a place they thought they would be. And even touring the world is dampened by the constant presence of Russian handlers there to make sure no one defects. As they get older and learn more about how the world works, they wish things were different. They question their expendability in Soviet Russia and if their actions were worth it. More importantly, the wonder whether their love for each other can overcome their anger and resentment.
I can’t comment on whether MAYA & NATASHA is somewhat of an allegory for War and Peace. However, their relationship very much oscillates between the two states of being. It is very difficult to achieve peace when feeling very much internally at war. The author does a great job incorporating historical fact (e.g., Cuban Missile Crisis, Balanchine, etc.) within this fictional story. This made it feel more real and helped mark the passage of time. I also liked feeling like a fly on the wall during ballet class time or in their dorms.
The narration is from a more distant point of view. As such, it offers more of an observational point of view of the twins. Because of this the reader may not feel as enmeshed with any thoughts or feelings experienced by the characters. I didn’t mind this too much, but occasionally I wanted the story to feel a little more personal.
Overall, MAYA & NATASHA is a solid Soviet era historical fiction about twin ballerinas who try to change their fates. My heart went out to them and the tribulations they endure throughout the story. They feel boxed in by tragedy and their government, neither of which results in a healthy early adulthood. Pick this book up if you have a penchant for reading about ballerinas, which I wish had more feature time in novels!
Rating: 4
Content warnings: death of a parent, suicide, blood, miscarriage, suicidal thoughts, eating disorder, drug use
Reading format: Kindle e-book
If you liked this book, you may also enjoy WILD AND WICKED THINGS by Francesca May.
This sounds so ambitious, especially when you mentioned War and Peace. And I’m glad you said you wanted more about the actual ballet. That would be my reason for picking it up, and it sounds like that isn’t the real focus. Thanks for sharing your review!
Ballet is a decent focus and does spend some time with the twins in their classes and the monotony of being in the corps. But the book is also more of a character study in how their lives are shaped by past events and trying to change their fate. 🙂
Great review, Celeste! This sounds like such an interesting read. I haven’t read War and Peace but it is on my TBR so now that you mention it, it’s made me even more curious to check this one out. I haven’t heard anyone speak about it so I’m glad you put this on my radar!
I probably will never ever read WAR AND PEACE, hahahaha…I never finished Anna Karenina and the only reason I ever started it was to use as a book to help me fall asleep on overnight plane travel. 😛 I am just not a classics reader.
What a unique concept for a book! Great review, Celeste!
Thanks!