Various Positions: A novel

By Martha Schabas

Nuanced, fresh, and gorgeously well-written, Martha Schabas' extraordinary debut novel takes us inside the beauty and brutality of professional ballet, and the young women striving to make it in that world. Shy and introverted, and trapped between the hyper-sexualized world of her teenaged friends and her dysfunctional family, Georgia is only at ease when she's dancing. Fortunately, she's an unusually talented and promising dancer. When she is accepted into the notoriously exclusive Royal Ballet Academy--Canada's preeminent dance school--Georgia thinks she has made the perfect escape. In ballet, she finds the exhilarating control and power she lacks elsewhere in her life: physical, emotional and, increasingly, sexual.
 
This dynamic is nowhere more obvious than in Georgia's relationship with Artistic Director Roderick Allen. As Roderick singles her out as a star and subjects her to increasingly vicious training, Georgia obsesses about becoming his perfect student, disciplined and sexless. But a disturbing incident with a stranger on the subway, coupled with her dawning recognition of the truth of her parents' unhappy marriage, causes her to radically reassess her ideas about physical boundaries--a reassessment that threatens both Roderick's future at the academy and Georgia's ambitions as a ballerina.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 28, 2011
• ISBN: 9780385668774

Martha Schabas

Martha Schabas trained in classical ballet as a child. She holds an M.A. in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she received the David Higham Literary Award. She lives in Toronto, Canada. Various Positions is her first novel.

Reviews for Various Positions

[prettydeadlyreviews · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow, what a roller-coaster ride. VARIOUS POSITIONS was an emotional read for me. I had that constant feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was very, very wrong, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. So much like that proverbial train wreck everyone talks about, this book held my attention through and through, and I just could not look away.

Georgia, the 14 year old ballerina protagonist seemed too mature, and yet too naive for her age. She spoke in a way that was much older than she was, and yet did not have the social skills that a 14-year-old girl should have. She misinterpreted nearly everyone around her. By the end of the book I was left wondering if maybe she lived with a spectrum disorder -- not a severe one, but just enough to affect her social interactions.

Halfway through the book Georgia starts to have sexual feelings towards her ballet instructor. This sets the wheels in motion for the catastrophe alluded to in the prologue. She deludes herself completely into believing he feels the same way towards her, and ends up making some very fatal, career-damning mistakes because of it.

Nearly every thought that crossed Georgia's mind made its way back to sex. I get that teenage girls are starting to grow into womanhood and yes, even at that age, think about sex. But when I was fourteen, I didn't ONLY think of sex. I thought about my friends, and my personal trainer, my athletic career, and sex, too. I don't think it's uncommon for sex to at least be talked about in that age range, but when it's all a girl can think about I think that there's something wrong there.


Now, all these points may seem negative, but trust me, they're not. I really did love this book. I could see that something was wrong with Georgia, sympathize with her when her parents' marriage fell apart, and even understand a crush on her teacher -- a stable male influence in her life. Coupled with the fact that her parents had the same student-teacher relationship when they met, I understood that it make perfect sense to Georgia, and she used that as more ammunition to further her delusions.


I think VARIOUS POSITIONS is an important book, or at least, is has an important message. VARIOUS POSITIONS opens the door to great conversation, about eating disorders and pressures for thinness, and also about how girls younger and younger are becoming more and more sexualized. If you can handle lewd comments from teenagers, and enjoy a good ballet book, I'd recommend reading VARIOUS POSITIONS. It was an entertaining read, with a sympathetic protagonist/antagonist.

[shelby_kuzma · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Being a dancer, I could appreciate much of what the main character went through during the course of this book. Dancers tend to have a different perspective on life, and this book portrayed that. It reminded me of the movie "Black Swan."However, this book was awkward to get through. The way it was written made it seem as though it were meant for a younger audience, although the contents show that that is clearly not the case.I liked this book, but I will not be reading it again.

[prettydeadly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow, what a roller-coaster ride. VARIOUS POSITIONS was an emotional read for me. I had that constant feeling in the pit of my stomach that something was very, very wrong, and I couldn't do anything to stop it. So much like that proverbial train wreck everyone talks about, this book held my attention through and through, and I just could not look away.

Georgia, the 14 year old ballerina protagonist seemed too mature, and yet too naive for her age. She spoke in a way that was much older than she was, and yet did not have the social skills that a 14-year-old girl should have. She misinterpreted nearly everyone around her. By the end of the book I was left wondering if maybe she lived with a spectrum disorder -- not a severe one, but just enough to affect her social interactions.

Halfway through the book Georgia starts to have sexual feelings towards her ballet instructor. This sets the wheels in motion for the catastrophe alluded to in the prologue. She deludes herself completely into believing he feels the same way towards her, and ends up making some very fatal, career-damning mistakes because of it.

Nearly every thought that crossed Georgia's mind made its way back to sex. I get that teenage girls are starting to grow into womanhood and yes, even at that age, think about sex. But when I was fourteen, I didn't ONLY think of sex. I thought about my friends, and my personal trainer, my athletic career, and sex, too. I don't think it's uncommon for sex to at least be talked about in that age range, but when it's all a girl can think about I think that there's something wrong there.


Now, all these points may seem negative, but trust me, they're not. I really did love this book. I could see that something was wrong with Georgia, sympathize with her when her parents' marriage fell apart, and even understand a crush on her teacher -- a stable male influence in her life. Coupled with the fact that her parents had the same student-teacher relationship when they met, I understood that it make perfect sense to Georgia, and she used that as more ammunition to further her delusions.


I think VARIOUS POSITIONS is an important book, or at least, is has an important message. VARIOUS POSITIONS opens the door to great conversation, about eating disorders and pressures for thinness, and also about how girls younger and younger are becoming more and more sexualized. If you can handle lewd comments from teenagers, and enjoy a good ballet book, I'd recommend reading VARIOUS POSITIONS. It was an entertaining read, with a sympathetic protagonist/antagonist.

[reluctantm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very impressive for a first novel. Although I normally avoid stories about ballet, this one drew me in. I have only one true quibble with the story. The main character, supposedly a teenager, has an inner voice that seems far younger. Until it is mentioned that she is in grade nine, I though she was much younger, maybe grade five or six. For fourteen, she seems quite naive, almost too naive to be believable.

[titania86_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

** This review contains spoilers. **Georgia is a teenage ballet dancer who is largely unhappy with her life outside of ballet. She doesn't have any true friends and her dysfunctional family grates on her nerves. After being accepted to the Royal Ballet Academy, her world is thrown into turmoil. Roderick, the unforgiving and harsh ballet instructor, expects absolute perfection and isn't afraid to point out the harsh realities to his students. He singles out Georgia as a star and someone to emulate for the other students. As a result, Georgia starts to interpret attraction from his actions and she fantasizes constantly about what their relationship would be like in her head. Is Georgia's fantasy real or is she completely delusional? How will the repercussions of her actions effect her future?The description for Various Positions read kind of like a Black Swan for teens, but it was actually a lot different. I had a lot of problems with the book, but there were some things I liked. The writing was engaging and kept me reading despite the problems I had with the novel. Georgia was an interesting character with very little connection to others in her life. I really felt for her in the first half of the novel because of her abusive, horrible friends and her constantly fighting parents. The way she thought about her sexuality and the way she explored it is something I haven't seen before in teen fiction. Typically, girls in YA novels don't seem to be interested in their own sexuality outside of a relationship, which I don't find very realistic. As in Black Swan, Georgia viewed sexuality as horrible and thought ballet was ideal without it until she met her ballet teacher. She believed he wanted her to be completely virginal while dancing and outside of dance he wanted the opposite extreme. This aspect never really developed into anything meaningful, which was disappointing.The rest of the book was a disappointment. Ballet wasn't featured in the book very much despite the marketing and back cover description. In the latter half of the novel, Georgia was simply an unapologetically horrible person. She put a girl with body image issues on a very strict diet, contributing to and worsening the girl's anorexia. Afterwards, Georgia's only concern was for people finding out her own part in it instead of having concern for the girl who became practically skeletal with her help. Her imagined relationship with her teacher was horribly damaging to everyone involved in the end. She tried to seduce him and left suggestive pictures in his desk. Roderick was a harsh and blunt teacher, but not a sexual predator and never gave her any indication that he was sexually interested in her. Her actions and the photos that were found of her made everyone assume that the teacher had raped her or traded better ballet roles for sexual favors. Even if the situation was cleared in the end, irreparable damage was done to his reputation and career that wasn't deserved. Georgia only really cared that she was rejected by the man she was interested in and nothing more. She also was never really punished for her horrible actions and didn't seem to learn much from the experiences at all. By the end of the book, I was really angry.Various Positions was a strange read with some interesting concepts and good narrative, but was overall disappointing and maddening.

[melanie_mccullough_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Various Positions is a gorgeous debut from an exceptional new talent and is written with an authenticity that only a dancer could achieve. It is a deep and powerful story, deftly choreographed. Each word is meaningful, each step purposeful. I could feel the cold Toronto air, see the gray and fading landscape, taste every kiss, experience every embarrassment and stab of guilt. You'll have no choice but to tear through the pages. Martha Schabas is a wonderful writer and she weaves a tale filled with so much tension, it was at times almost unbearable. Her characterization is flawless. With Various Positions, she has created individuals as real as any living, breathing person I've ever met. I couldn't help but care deeply for each one of them. Especially Georgia. Poor Georgia whose life has revolved so fully around ballet and navigating her dysfunctional family that she's nowhere near as mature as the other kids her age. And with no one to turn to except a sister who is away at college, a depressed and self-involved mother, and an emotionally unavailable father, it's no wonder the instant she receives positive attention she's confused. Add to this mixed messages she receives from her sex-obsessed classmates and her own mother and she begins to fantasize that the attention means more than it does. She begins to obsess about Roderick. To over-analyze every action. To see in them more than there is. I will warn you that there is a fair amount of language and sexual innuendo, but it is a fundamental element of the plot, woven throughout the fabric of the story, holding it together. There is nothing gratuitous or disturbing about it. It merely exists, as essential to Georgia's story as her love of ballet. I mention it only as a caution to those who shy away from this type of subject matter. In the end my love affair with Macmillan and its imprints continues. I definitely NEED a finished copy of this for my bookshelf and you should grab one for yours as well. This is a novel not to be missed. One of those stories that will get under your skin (in a good way), evoking so much passion from its readers that I honestly believe you're either going to love it or hate it.

[cait86 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A phenomenal debut novel about the ballet world.Georgia is a perfect young ballerina. Shy and socially awkward, she is most at home in a ballet studio, where she is the best in her class, flattered by the older girls and praised by her teacher. Then Georgia auditions for a prestigious ballet school, and dancing becomes her entire life. She works hard to please her teacher, Roderick, and looks down on her classmates, who at fourteen are a little boy-crazy. But the world of ballet is complex, and Georgia quickly makes one poor decision after another, obsessing over ballet, sex, and the secret of her parents' marriage.Schabas is brilliant at creating a world that feels increasingly out of control - I saw problem after problem heading Georgia's way, but was powerless to stop them. Various Positions is very much a mirroring of ballet itself; the writing is elegant and controlled, but the world and characters are just barely holding on - like a ballerina poised on pointe shoes, one wiggle in the wrong direction could cause a dangerous fall. This tension is what makes ballet, and this novel, so impressive.The one problem I had with this book is that at times Georgia seems far older than fourteen, while at others she sounds much younger. I guess this is actually fairly realistic, as youth who are very dedicated and successful at something are often very mature in the way they work toward goals, etc., but very immature in their social interactions. Still, I do think Georgia's voice was inconsistent. Various Positions was a fabulous story that I gulped down in two sittings. It is Schabas' first novel, and I am already eagerly awaiting her second.

[skaohee · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Since the beginning of time (okay, so maybe not that long), there has been a great debate of "What is YA?". I mean, really? What makes a YA book different from a Middle Grade book and a different from an Adult book? I feel like most people would automatically assume it would be the age of the protagonist. If he/she is between 12-18 (the target audience), then the book is YA. HOWEVER, I would consider Sophie Flack's Bunheads to be YA and her main character is 19. The main character in Various Positions is 14 years old, a ninth grader, and this book is NOT YA . The synopsis says that the main character, Georgia, is a ballerina and that the only time she truly feels alive is when she's dancing. She's accepted into a prestigous ballet school and then begins to have a crush on her (much older) ballet instructor. This book is masquerading as a YA book just as much as it's masquerading as a ballet book. The content is neither YA nor does it have anything to do with ballet. Other than the fact that Georgia attends class, where she not-so-YA-ly has SEXUAL (not cutesy crush) thoughts about her 40 year old instructor, ballet is hardly ever mentioned. Various Positions is an adult book. I don't think a 14 year old girl watching porn in her bedroom and then taking naked photos of herself (while trying to make "seductive faces" to imitate the porn stars) is the type of book I would consider YA. (view spoiler) But, maybe I'm crazy. Also, can I just say, especially in today's society where teen stars are getting younger and younger, that the words 14 year old and sexy should never go together. 14 year olds are CHILDREN, they are sweet and cute and NOT sexy, ever. I can't even bring myself to give this book ONE star because it offended me so much. If you're looking for an intelligent, funny, fresh contemporary YA book about ballet I HIGHLY recommend Bunheads by Sophie Flack.

[bookspot · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

*review may contain some spoilers*Georgia's whole life revolves around ballet. She dreams of being a professional ballerina - despite her father not supporting her ambition - and is thrilled when she receives an audition for the Royal Ballet Academy. Attending will mean no more awkward parties with the kids from her local school, no more games of spin the bottle she doesn't want to play, she'll be able to truly focus on ballet.But when Georgia does get in, she finds herself surrounded by girls she does like, who can be her friends but who seem obsessed with boys and sex. Something she doesn't like to think about.Dancing is her escape. A reprieve from her boy-crazy friends and her dysfunctional family - a father who's always at work and a mother who is 'emotional.'At the Academy she becomes focused on being her instructor Roderick's perfect - and sexless - student. She will practice all of the time, show him how dedicated she is, and how she's not always thinking about sex like the other girls. Then he will see her as professional dancer material.Things in Various Positions are not entirely as they are presented - or maybe just not as I perceived them to be presented. There is a lot in the novel about the female body and how it is sexualized and seen as a negative thing - both by women themselves and by others. I think that's a noble point to have, especially in a YA novel and one about ballet, too, but for me it didn't quite come across.Georgia went from not being almost scared of anything sexual and her body in general - liking that it was so immature still and not womanly yet to being rather overly aware of both things. Almost constantly thinking about both her body and others' bodies. She was looking at a porn site on the internet, thinking about how people compared to the women there, etc.I do think that this all tied in with her parents' relationship - both the basis of it and its current state - as well as how she was currently fairing at the ballet Academy, but I couldn't get into the story enough to connect it all. The change in Georgia as well as some of her actions were a little too extreme for me - as well as the (seeming) almost constant talk by her friends about sex - to really get into and enjoy Various Postions.There is a great plot under the sexual stuff that was just too much for me. On the surface its just Georgia figuring out how to fit in at her new ballet school and get away from her screwy family, but it really looks at how girls' face a lot of pressure to be thin or sexy (or not sexy) in so many different ways - and the ballet world's a perfect place to set that.read thanks to NetGalley and the publisherOther Books You Might Like: Bunheads by Sophie Flack

[squirrelsohno · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Martha Schabas’ debut VARIOUS POSITIONS has had a less-than-stellar reputation amongst my friends and other online reviewers, with a lot of hatred going towards it. I went into it not knowing what to expect other than ballet and sex. But something about the premise intrigued me, even though I am normally not a fan of contemporary books, nor do I know ANYTHING about ballet. What I found, though, was a book pitched as young adult that really should be on adult shelves only, a book about a girl going through a sexual awakening in the competitive world of ballet.VARIOUS POSITIONS is about a 14 year old ballet student named Georgia, who has recently been accepted to the most prestigious ballet school in Canada. With girls pushing each other to do horrible things (become anorexic, lose their virginity to strangers, etc), Georgia has set her sights on the school’s notorious head teacher, a famed choreographer named Roderick. Famous for his harsh words and brash teaching mechanisms, he incites fear in most of the girls. Showing any emotion to his criticism, girls claim, is grounds for expulsion and the end to their ballet dreams. But for Georgia, he is the object of her affection. She imagines a relationship between them despite their massive age difference, and even thinks about having sex with him. Things only escalate from there.This is definitely not a book for everyone. As I mentioned, I don’t think this book should be targeted at the YA audience. The book is heavily based on sex between teacher and student – Georgia with her teacher and then again between Georgia’s parents in the past. She spends a great deal of time fantasizing about sex, watching porn, and getting into compromising situations with Roderick. Although the protagonist is 14, she comes off more as a 19 or 20 year old, with her thoughts, mannerisms, and words. The publisher says this book is for teens aged 14-18, but I disagree with this. This is a book for girls 16 and up, if not adults outright, and I think marketing it to adults instead would have done this book a much greater service.While I did not sympathize with Georgia, I did enjoy her narration, looking at it from a purely outsider perspective. Her thoughts were strange and repulsive, yet at the same time they draw the reader into her world. The life she has adopted for herself and decided to love is utterly fascinating, from the lengths these girls go to in order to succeed or their relationships with one another. Schabas portrays the trials and tribulations of young ballet dancers well, from their struggles with weight to the expectations put on their heads by their teachers, their families, and themselves. In addition, after reading this book, I really wanted to rewatch Black Swan. Totally random thought, I know.The writing was for the most part strong, although there were a few too many awkward metaphors used too often, comparing smiles to leaving the lights on when you leave a room. Schabas definitely shows promise, but I think with better marketing, this book would have been a much stronger debut. It is not YA and marketing it as YA really did take the book down a notch for me.VERDICT: A strong debut in a category where it doesn’t belong, VARIOUS POSITIONS is a well-written story of a girl’s sexual awakening in the world of ballet. But really, this book is not for young adults, and I would not recommend this to girls under the age of 16 at all.