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Mila Belova and her father, Anton, have been traversing through sorrow ever since the untimely passing of family matriarch, Raisa Belova. Father and daughter have been a mutual source of comfort to each other. The loss of her mother cuts Mila deeply, but the presence of her father and his ability to make her smile and laugh ease the pain she feels. Everything changes, however, when Mila learns that Anton has secretly remarried. When Mila is introduced to Henriette, she feels betrayed by her father in the worst way and has no desire to address Henriette as Maman.
Shoop deftly portrays the unease in the Belova household as Mila is forced into adjusting to the new woman in her father's life. Mila's reluctance to accept Henriette leads her to spiteful behavior, such as giving gifts she received from her stepmother to less fortunate children. When she attempts to talk to her father about his decision to remarry, he explains how his marriage was both a practical and a business decision. The women who help take care of Mila attempt to ease the tension around the house by explaining how hard the situation is for Henriette as well. Mila begins to soften her feelings towards Henriette and attempts to be a loving stepdaughter, but finds that Henriette is a complex person whose behavior often shifts from happy to brooding.
The narrative reveals moments when Mila and Henriette achieve harmony in their relationship, such as when Mila helps brew a tea that revitalizes her father and Henriette when they are ill. Unfortunately, this proves to be short-lived as Henriette sinks further into despair, as her attempts to have a child of her own prove frustrating, and Anton spends exorbitant amounts of time and money to placate a wife who is mired in depression. The rift that develops between Anton and Mila is nearly as painful to Mila as the loss of her mother.
When Mila is sent to school to become a dancer, she feels cast aside. However, the presence of a surrogate mother, Lottie, warms Mila's heart. Still, she is intimidated by her teacher and learns that her attendance is a result of "special treatment," which leads to resentment from her classmates. A senior classmate reaches out to Mila, offering to be her mentor, and Mila is intent on showcasing her dancing skills to her teachers and justifying her position. While away from home, Mila also learns some secrets about her family history that prove revelatory.
Told through the perspective of a celestial body, Mila's narrative is a compelling coming-of-age drama. As an adolescent girl living in pre-revolutionary Russia, Mila's world is quickly transformed when a new woman enters her father's life, and the author successfully shows how justifiable emotions of sadness and anger take hold as the protagonist worries that her mother's presence is being erased from their lives. The battle of wills between headstrong Mila and her often cruel stepmother makes for a riveting dynamic in the story. The novel's direction changes when Mila is sent off to the Imperial Ballet school, and despite the odds being against her, Mila is resolved to prove herself as a dancer and a worthy successor to her mother's memory. At its heart, Mila's tale is a touching story of love, loss, growing up, and the relationships that define who we are. Shoop has written a winner from beginning to end.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review