August Blue

Elsa M. Anderson, a celebrated concert pianist and former child prodigy, abruptly abandons a performance in Vienna, mid-recital, her illustrious career now a source of profound unease. Drifting to Athens, in her thirties, she encounters an unnerving sight: a young woman, a stranger yet uncannily her double, purchases a pair of mechanical dancing horses at a flea market, objects Elsa herself yearns for. Unable to acquire her own, Elsa embarks on an impulsive journey across Europe, shadowed by the elusive figure who bought the horses. This mesmerising odyssey delves into her flight from talent and history, exploring themes of artistic crisis, the search for identity beyond performance, and the unsettling comfort found in a doppelganger. Deborah Levy masterfully crafts a dazzling portrait of melancholy and metamorphosis, illuminating the human yearning to shed old narratives, find oneself reflected in others, and ultimately, to forge a new self amidst life's complex rhythms.