A review by rworrall78
The Dancing Face by Mike Phillips

adventurous emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Very interesting on art, history and colonialism. The plot was ok, though because of my misgivings about the writing, particularly of the female characters, I didn't surrender wholly to it.  I could have done with less objectification of women, all that felt very late 90s..I kept thinking of the scene where

one of the female characters gets blackmailed into sex and effectively raped. It had shades of a similar scene in Americanah, although the coercion there is effected differently but the result is more or less the same. But how much better Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche writes it. How disgusted we feel by the man's behaviour. None of that important stuff here.

But an interesting read. The discussions about art and history are great and insightful. And the descriptions of Danny's childhood in care and feelings about that and his brother are tender and sad.