posted on 19 Jun 2019

No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton

Aya is an eleven year old girl who has recently arrived in Britain with her mum and baby brother, seeking asylum from war in Syria. Like many children of her age, she has an enduring passion for dancing and had been a promising ballet student when she lived in Aleppo. Her life has been turned upside down since fleeing the now war torn city and she finds herself gaining tremendous solace in these memories of happier times.

The journey from Syria has been long and hard. Even though she is now in a safe place, she is injured and the little family is distraught because her dad has vanished after the terrifying capsizing of their overloaded boat in the Mediterranean. The author uses the effective device of several detailed flashbacks to keep the reader up-to-speed with her past experiences which give us a glimpse into the various stages of the journey, including a long stay in a refugee camp in Turkey and then in Greece. Her grief stricken mum is physically and mentally unwell which means that Aya has had to shoulder responsibilities that include caring for her brother and, because she speaks and understands English, the dispiriting fight for the right to remain in Britain.

But all this is very much the back story, because what is most important is the love of ballet that becomes a metaphor for everything that is good about humanity and hope for the future. Her dad had told her this right upto the moment when she lost sight of him:

‘She remembered him telling her the story of the dancing princess who had never stopped dancing all night and all day, through fiery monsters and dragons and battlefields. Dancing over hot coals and ice and stormy seas ...dancing, always dancing’.

When attending the local community centre, Aya stumbles across a ballet class that is taught by the formidable Miss Sylvie who turns out to have an interesting history as a Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany. She spots her exceptional talent, generously invites her to join the class and soon encourages her to apply for a prestigious ballet scholarship. Along the way, Aya makes some firm friendships with the other girls in the class, particularly the exuberant and extrovert Dotty who comes from a very privileged background.

This is a welcome addition to the growing list of books for children and adults that explore asylum seeker and refugee related themes. It is a fine line between writing a novel that emphasises a message of tolerance and tries hard to educate the reader about important social issues and a compelling story with a range of characters. I think that the author is keenly aware of this challenge and writes about what motivated her in an extensive afterword. She explains that she was inspired by reading classics like ‘ Ballet Shoes’ by Noel Streatfeild that told a convincing triumph over tragedy story and that gave hope to all young ballet lovers, (including the talentless like myself). Like the characters in this earlier book, Aya has to overcome huge difficulties and work very hard to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a successful dancer. And it's important that these stories are told now and with immediacy because there just isn’t time to wait:

‘It has to be told now. Because when you turn on your TV and see a story about a Syrian refugee who has escaped the horrors of war, only to be attacked in a school in the UK, you realise why it is important for this generation of young readers to question the toxic definitions attached to words like ‘refugee’ and ‘asylum seeker’ - to see the child not the label.'

Strongly recommended.

Karen Argent

June 2019