Swallow’s Dance

Wendy Orr’s Swallow’s Dance is set in the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age as was her earlier critically acclaimed work Dragonfly Song. (Vol. 24, No. 10, November 10, 2017) A stand-alone story, Swallow’s Dance follows the harrowing life of Leira and her immediate family: Dada, Mama and her aging nursemaid Nunu, brothers Glaucus and Ibi, and Ibi’s expectant wife and child. Leira is coming of age on the Isle of Swallows, absorbed with her friend Pellie and their “learning” and priestess orientation required at puberty, when the Isle is hit by an unexpected and devastating earthquake. With their home destroyed and Leira’s mother badly injured and mentally affected, the family sets sail for Tarmara on the island of Crete to start a new life. While Leira’s beloved puppy Chance finds passage on the sail, Ibi must leave his wife and young son behind. The rest of the family arrive in Tarmara only to learn that Glaucus has died and that Dada, a sea captain, and Ibi must set sail again in order to ensure the survival of the family trade business. Leira is left on Tarmara to fill Glaucus’s role as the trade ambassador and to care for Nunu and Mama.

Disaster soon strikes again when a volcano erupts on Tarmara and a tsunami follows soon after. The community unravels and becomes rife with corruption and danger, forcing Leira, Chance, Nunu and Mama to head off on foot in search of stability in nearby Gournia. Their trek is fraught with hunger, injury and an attack by bandits, the last leaving them with only the clothes on their backs. On arrival at Gournia, the threesome finds the area has also been ravaged by the natural disasters, the “battle of the gods”, and they learn that their former homeland has been completely destroyed. Believed to be the only survivors of the Isle of Swallows, the women are instructed to pretend to be servants and not priest-folk as the Isle and its people are now considered cursed. Leira, Mama and Nunu struggle to find food, shelter and work in the depleted town. Eventually, after much hardship and with the help of Leira’s deceased friend Pellie in the form of an oracle, Leira finds work as a potter’s apprentice and the trio begin to settle in and forge a new life.

Swallow’s Dance is a sweeping tale of courage, fortitude, hardship and perseverance against all odds. It is also a coming of age story, an intimate glimpse into the life of a young girl adjusting to puberty at a time when her family, friendships and her understanding of her place in the world are brutally torn apart. Wendy Orr has crafted a sympathetic, memorable heroine whose struggles and challenges transcend time from the Bronze Age to modern day. Youth will relate to and sympathize with Leira, and readers of all ages will find hope in Leira’s resilience and ability to adapt and move forward despite seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Orr delves into the universal themes of family, love, loss, friendship, status and endurance within an engrossing and moving tale. As in Dragonfly Song, Orr includes some of Leira’s thoughts in segments of beautiful lyrical prose that could easily function as stand-alone poetry. While suitable for middle grade students and a wonderful introduction to mythology and discussions surrounding puberty, spirituality, class, mental health, death and disaster, Swallow’s Dance is one of those rare books that is also just a great story, an epic tale for all ages.