Title: A Time to Dance Author: Padma Vekatraman
Published: May 1, 2014
Genre(s): Realistic/Contemporary
Page Count: 320
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Padma Venkatraman’s inspiring story of a young girl’s struggle to regain her passion and find a new peace is told lyrically through verse that captures the beauty and mystery of India and the ancient bharatanatyam dance form. This is a stunning novel about spiritual awakening, the power of art, and above all, the courage and resilience of the human spirit.
Veda, a classical dance prodigy in India, lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered. For a girl who’s grown used to receiving applause for her dance prowess and flexibility, adjusting to a prosthetic leg is painful and humbling. But Veda refuses to let her disability rob her of her dreams, and she starts all over again, taking beginner classes with the youngest dancers. Then Veda meets Govinda, a young man who approaches dance as a spiritual pursuit. As their relationship deepens, Veda reconnects with the world around her, and begins to discover who she is and what dance truly means to her.
Padma Venkatraman’s verse novel, A Time to Dance, is an exploration of art and spirituality and determination, told by Veda, a classically trained dancer who loses her leg in an car accident. This is a beautiful, uncomplicated story of recovery and passion, told in simple free verse that captures the narrator’s emotions very well. Themes of music and God (not the Judeo-Christian one) run throughout the book, and the author conveys much with her symbolism. However, as much as I liked reading this novel, I didn’t forge the deeper connection I would have wished. It’s a good book, though, and I love the premise.
A major aspect of this story is Veda’s dance and how she relearns the routines with her prosthesis. As an uninitiated reader, I enjoyed the way the author explained Bharatanatyam dance and its deeper religious significance without verging into the territory of a lecture. Granted, because this style of dance is heavily rooted in traditional Hindu beliefs, there is a large religious aspect to A Time to Dance, in addition to the dance. For myself, I probably could have done without that bit, but I loved that Veda was religious and that she found meaning and beauty in her beliefs, even in the face of terrible loss. Plus, I never found this book truly preachy or pushy.
In general, I found that Venkatraman handled Veda’s storyline, including the loss of her limb, quite well. The aftermath of the amputation was authentic and honest, though not too dark or steeped in misery, and the journey towards peace wasn’t so fast as to seem implausible. Beyond Veda’s own mindset, A Time to Dance also demonstrates the external consequences of her disability—the teasing, stares, awkwardness—that also come along with the territory. Yet this is more of an optimistic book than anything else, and even while writing the harsher side of her protagonist’s situation, the author never lets things get too grim.
Truly, my biggest complaint about A Time to Dance was how simple it is—too simple and uncomplicated for me, honestly. I think this is a wonderful story about a strong, determined young woman, but something in the author’s presentation felt too juvenile or childlike, in some way. Perhaps this is on account of the verse format, which I often find reduces a story to bare bones and limits the amount of nuance possible. I like the idea of verse novels quite a bit, but so often I find them overly clean and transparent. Such was the case here, and it no doubt was the main reason for my lack of a firm connection to the narrative.
I didn’t love this novel, but I think it has some amazing components and love that the “nonconventional” story it offers. Padma Venkatraman writes this book with authority and understanding, making the simplistic nature of A Time to Dance secondary to its honesty and the hope it offers. This is a strong, unique coming of age story for the young adult audience.
