coming of age means
leaving home
In 1992 Henrietta Drake’s affluent family has life of the mind obsessions that may have fueled her academic ascent, but also made high school an impossible holding tank for her.
The dream was always getting to New York, but this was not what she had in mind.
Her mom’s departure creates a wizard-of-oz storm that drops her in a world where everyone knows the steps and the secret handshake. Amid complexities and compromises inherent to independence, can she face the fragility of found family and friendship?
Never Ready features an anxious heroine whose journey with artists and art, design and dance crosses generations. Mark Carpenter, American Genius, shows her the best and worst of the downtown dance world as Henri leans on Carmen, Luke, Ajax and, of course, Kit, who never had to say anything… but who, for some reason chose to say so much.
Henri’s humility and humor shine as she curates her life within a beautiful, terrible time.
People have said
“In luminous, gripping prose, Lucie André’s debut novel explores a young woman’s coming of age in the vibrant, gritty dance scene of 1990s New York. With wisdom and humor, Never Ready tells an unforgettable tale of loss, identity, and the transformative power of art.”
Best selling author of We Must not Think of Ourselves
“Never Ready celebrates the complex love that pulses through artists and audiences. We need that now.”
Artistic Director Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
“Never Ready brought me back to a time that was glorious and scary all at once, yet I was drawn to Henri and the family she finds–like so many of us do when we move to the big city.
It’s just a great story.”
Founding Director, Dancers Responding to AIDS
“In this sumptuous, deceptively straightforward debut, Henri experiences the transformative power of deep, unexpected friendships. These credible, enviable relationships share more than advice and art-world secrets; they help her accept people—and herself—as messy, damaged, and ultimately, beautiful. These are reminders that resonate.”
Author of The Reluctant Alchemist and therapist
“Mythic and modern, Never Ready is a wonderfully choreographed coming-of-age story evoking a time and place while capturing the universality of friendship and the life-saving bonds that lie somewhere in between.
This is a novel that is as smart and funny as it is tender and moving.”
Author of The Sun in Your Eyes, The Summer Demands, and Consolation