The Dance Tree: A Novel

Set in Strasbourg, it is the summer of 1518 as this story begins, when this place is beset by a plague which begins with just a single woman at first. A woman dancing without ceasing, as though she is possessed. It isn’t long before this extends to others, and musicians gather in an effort to have whatever devil has possessed them to be exorcised. ’‘In July 1518, in the midst of the hottest summer Central Europe had ever known, a woman whose name is recorded as Frau Troffea began to dance in the streets of Strasbourg. This was no ordinary dance – it was unrelenting, closer to a trance than a celebration. She danced for days, any attempts to make her rest thwarted, until it drew the attention of the Twenty-One, the city’s council, and she was taken to the shrine of St Vitus, patron saint of dancers and musicians. After being bathed in the spring there, she stopped dancing.’ This story centers primarily around Lisbet, pregnant once again - her thirteenth pregnancy, although she has yet to give birth to any child that survived, she honours the ones she’s lost and prays that this child will live. Lisbet and her husband are beekeepers, and along with her mother-in-law, Lisbet, her sister-in-law, and her dearest friend and confidant attempt to restrain those men who believe that women should bow to their needs and desires. ‘What must it be, to be a man and be able to leave your grief behind, or else shrink it small enough to carry about in a pocket, and bear it enough to live a…

This is a book worth reading and discussing. As I was contemplating how I felt about this book and what I wanted to say, one thing was evident, we have come so far, and not nearly far enough. I read this later as something the author states in the acknowledgment as well. So far this year, this is a book I recommend to be read. It is a historical-cultural fiction that well-roundedly addresses the imperfections, biases, and poignant issues of society that are still reflective of today, over 500 years later. The story focuses around a true historical event that occurred in Strasbourg in 1518 in which a dancing hysteria consumes the city for two months during a summer with famine and drought conditions in a highly superstitious and religiously controlled state, seen primarily through the eyes of a young naive woman coming into her own in a difficult and restrictive environment. While some parts seem like they would be a stretch there are many parts very real and were felt deeply. This book will be on my mind for some time.