Unspeakable Beauty

Reviews / Votes

'Unspeakable Beauty is perfectly measured; reading this novel is often a breathtaking pleasure... A truly impressive achievement from a rising star of Welsh literature.' - Gosia Buzzanca, Buzz Magazine

'an elegant psychological exploration of obsessive behaviours, be that the physical and psychological demands placed on an aspiring ballerina; or the predatory tendencies of a man who comes to objectify a woman made vulnerable by her quiet nature... a lyrical, compelling and addictive read' - Sophie Buchaillard, Nation.Cymru

Growing up in a lonely house on the edge of a wild common, Violet Hart is a quiet and sheltered only child who has always dreamt of becoming something extraordinary: a ballet icon as famous as Margot Fonteyn.

Guarding her dream closely after suffering catastrophic loss, Violet falls further into quietness, learning to speak only with her feet as she pursues a path to a career in dance. On the cusp of adulthood, she finally starts to find her voice.

But when a secret, all consuming affair with her older lover Theo threatens to send her world into a tailspin, will Violet find herself? Or will she succumb to the silence she knows so well?

This beautiful, poetic debut novel warns of the dangers of being a quiet person in a loud world and letting magnetic strangers pull your strings. Set on the Welsh coast, Unspeakable Beauty is an unsettling coming-of-age tale about the importance of learning how to take the lead and be yourself, of finding hope in the shadows, of letting your dreams bloom. -- Publisher: Parthian Books