Home
/
Fiction
/
Dancing In The Dark
Dancing In The Dark
Jan 14, 2026 5:51 PM

Author:Caryl Phillips

Dancing In The Dark

'The funniest man I ever saw, and the saddest man I ever knew.' This is how W.C. Fields described Bert Williams, the highest-paid entertainer in America in his heyday and someone who counted the King of England and Buster Keaton among his fans.

Born in the Bahamas, he moved to California with his family. Too poor to attend Stanford University, he took to life on the stage with his friend George Walker. Together they played lumber camps and mining towns until they eventually made the agonising decision to 'play the coon'. Off-stage, Williams was a tall, light-skinned man with marked poise and dignity; on-stage he now became a shuffling, inept 'nigger' who wore blackface make-up. As the new century dawned they were headlining on Broadway. But the mask was beginning to overwhelm Williams and he sank into bouts of melancholia and heavy drinking, unable to escape the blackface his public demanded.

Reviews

This is a tragic story with not a word wasted, raised to an elegiac level by Phillips's supple, controlled prose

—— Sunday Independent

A subtle and poignant novel... A fine and beautifully nuanced performance

—— Sunday Times

A compassionate portrait of an enigmatic figure... Written with Phillips's trademark understated elegance

—— The Times

Phillips has brilliantly resurrected a bitter-sweet life... Without a doubt Phillips' most accomplished novel

—— Time Out

Caryl Philips novel tells [Walker and William's story] with sensitivity and eloquence. He is a consummate storyteller...

—— Observer

Easily one of the best poetry collections in the past decade

—— Herald

Shifts in focus and perspective allow for a fresh and engaging exploration of time-honoured themes. This descriptive and imaginative daring makes In the Flesh a persuasive debut

—— Ben Wilkinson , Times Literary Supplement

If Jane Bowles and Gerard Manley Hopkins had a lovechild, she might just possibly write as gloriously as Nicola Keegan. Swimming is a novel for people who love donut holes, or the dead, or dogs, or nuns, or fat people, or world class athletes, or the English language, or pretty much anything. It should be read, re-read, dreamed about, quoted to friends, and enacted as a shimmery odd hilarious mystery play. Swimming is simply magnificent.

—— Rivka Galchen, author of Atmospheric Disturbances

Written with verve and bursts of wild humour', 'It's an enlightening plunge into a world that we all come to know more about soon

—— Emma Hagestadt , Independent

There is sometimes awesomeness behind the covers. And Fallen is one such book. And the cover is deliciously gothic . . . The book has an air of mystery to it, and there are twists and turns everywhere. It certainly keeps you guessing . . . Move over, Hush, Hush, for there is more originality and awesomeness here

—— Books and the Universe

Full of unexpected twists, with romance, intrigue and even scares

—— Bournemouth Daily Echo

An exciting climax and an intriguing ending

—— Library Thing

I have one word for you: WOW! This book is absolutely amazing! I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, Torment. Seriously, Fallen is unbelievably good, and I may just have to read it again soon. You need this book!

—— Once Upon a Bookcase

Lauren Kate really knows how to keep a reader engaged. A breathtaking read. 5/5

—— Gripped Into Books

As lyrically succulent as Chocolat and Blackberry Wine, this book probes darker corners of loss, enmity and betrayal

—— P S Magazine

Hugely enjoyable

—— Sunday Mirror

Vastly enjoyable, utterly gripping

—— The Times

A dark, gripping tale of how smell leads to tragedy and murder. Harris's vividly sensual account of a nine-year-olds loves, loyalties and misunderstandings is a powerful and haunting story of childhood betrayal

—— Good Housekeeping

Five Quarters of the Orange completes a hat-trick of food-titled tales with a riveting story about a young girl brought up in occupied France who's now an old woman harbouring a terrible secret. Harris is light-years ahead of her contemporaries. She teases you with snippets of a bigger story, gently pulling you in with her vivid descriptions of rural France until you can actually smell the oranges. Read it

—— Now Magazine

Beautifully told, it's a haunting and tantalizing tale that stays with you long after turning the last page

—— Mirror

The luscious prose, abounding in culinary metaphors and similes, which made Chocolat so readable, is once more in evidence ... a satisfying page-turner

—— Irish Examiner

This shape-shifting drama switches easily between Occupied France and the present day. Recipes for luscious meals and homebrewed liqueurs interlace a storyline that spoons suspense and black humour into the blender in equal measure

—— Irish Independent

Harris is an acute observer of the lush French countryside, and her descriptions of it are a delight ... A luscious feast of a book

—— Literary Review

Joanne Harris's rather brilliant Five Quarters of the Orange is a fascinating page-turner with a compelling climax ... This is an absolutely remarkable book that deserves to be read over and over again

—— Punch

Harris' love affair with food and France continues. Savour it

—— Family Circle

Harris evocatively balances the young Framboise's perspectives on life against grown-up truths with compelling, zestful flair

—— Elle

The dreamy and almost fair-tale narrative remains undisturbed by the spectre of the Occupation, as Harris avoids moral or historical themes, to ponder on the internal and social turmoil of the protagonists ... Harris seduces her readers with culinary delights, through suggestive textures and smells which indulge the senses

—— What's On In London

Harris has a gift for injecting magic into the everyday ... She is an old-fashioned writer in the finest sense, believing in a strong narrative, fully rounded characters, a complex plot, even a moral

—— Daily Telegraph

Gripping ... Harris is on assured form

—— The Sunday Times
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved