Here at the End of the World We Learn to Dance
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
'If you haven t fallen in love by the end of the dance you haven t danced the tango.' So says Rosa, fiery Argentinean restaurateur, to her 19-year-old kitchenhand and bumbling dance partner Lionel. As a story of the most captivating nature unravels, their unlikely union on the dance floor develops into a bond of love and obsession – fierce and all encompassing, and so it mirrors the dance. As they dance, Rosa tells Lionel the story of her grandfather Paul Schmidt and his lover Louise. A secret love that spanned decades; from their time during the First World War hiding out in a cave on New Zealand's West Coast – to Buenos Aires, where they continue their affair, dancing the tango endlessly in her barren room.
The language is beautifully crafted, the imagery strikes straight to the heart. And while the old story is being told we become aware of the uncanny parallel with the present: between Schmidt's granddaughter Rosa and Lionel the dishwasher. This is Jones at his finest.
Also available as an eBook
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jones (Mr. Pip) crafts a vivid tale of love and the redemption of dance. Argentinean piano tuner Paul Schmidt arrives in New Zealand near the end of WWI. He meets Louise Cunningham, who hides him when ruffians decide to kill Schmidt because his name sounds German. In their makeshift camp, Schmidt teaches Louise the tango. After Paul returns to Buenos Aires, he receives a letter from Louise, who admits she fell in love during their first dance. The pair keep their love alive through letters, even when they are oceans apart and eventually marry other people. The letters later provide clues for Paul's granddaughter, Rosa, who moves to New Zealand and is curious about Paul's mysterious past. Lionel, a university student and dishwasher in Rosa's restaurant, traces Paul and Louise's story, seeing parallels to his own ill-fated love for the older (and married) Rosa. Just as Paul taught Louise, Rosa teaches Lionel how to tango. With his elegant language, Jones moves gracefully between the two stories and time periods, capturing the sensuous interplay between partners in dance and in life.
