"Come Dance With Me"
by Russell Hoban
Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Come-Dance-Me-Russell-Hoban/dp/0747578893/
This book is a favourite
Reading history and reviews
Finished on 4th July 2010
Still not being able to locate Riddley Walker after Her Name Was Lola, I thought that I would try the only other Hoban book on offer in the library, "Come Dance With Me" and if anything I think I enjoyed this more than the first. The story itself concerns a romance between two people: one is a singer in a rock band called "Mobile Mortuary" while the other is a doctor specialising in diabetes. What makes it interesting is that she is in her mid-fifties and he's in his sixties.
Many of the things that I liked about Hoban's writing from his other books are also present here - while the story is full of detail, its told with a light touch and the reader slowly learns the background of the characters - and there was unexpected personal significance with a connection to Hawaii (specifically the island of Maui), which also contributed to my enjoyment as I could picture some of the places that Hoban describes, such as the I'ao Needle (interestingly Hoban writes in the acknowledgements that he's never visited these places himself). But most of all I think I enjoyed the book's sense of general uplift, quiet hopefulness and finding that life can still surprise you. Brilliant book.Finished on 12th July 2012
I think this is one of my most favourite books - the start of a tentative romance between two older people, Christabel Alderton is the singer in Goth band "Mobile Mortuary" while Elias Newman is a consultant at a hospital, and both struggling with their own pasts and what it says about their futures. What I love about Hoban's writing is how deceptively light it is, and how his stories have depth without being heavy. I really like and care about the characters in this book, which is one of the reasons I wanted to read it again, and I loved the uplifting ending. I can see myself returning to this again in the future, and it's encouraged me again to seek out some more of Hoban's other books.Finished on 24th August 2020