Set against the backdrop of a ballet, Pas de Deux, is the story of one dancer's descent into madness and the catastrophic consequences it has on her relationship with the photographer assigned to the troupe.
While dancing two roles in a new version of Camelot, the dancer suffers a break with reality and becmes convinced her lover is having an affair with the ballerina performing the Lady Guinevere role. Driven to jealousy, she immerses herself in a fantasy of escape.
Filled with striking images and rich language, Pas de Deux leads the reader through a sad, lovely story; akin to watching a tragic ballet unfold on paper.

Nina Berkhout is the author of three novels, most recently Why Birds Sing, which was described as a “must read” by the Globe and Mail and “not to be missed” by the Ottawa Citizen, a Best Book of the Year (Canada) by Audible, and a Great Group Reads selection by the Women’s National Book Association (USA). Her young adult novel The Mosaic was nominated for the White Pine Award and the Ottawa Book Awards and named an Indigo Best Teen Book, and her novel The Gallery of Lost Species was named an Indigo and Kobo Best Book and a Harper’s Bazaar Hottest Breakout Novel. Berkhout is also the author of five poetry collections, including Elseworlds, which won the Archibald Lampman Award. A recent finalist for the Alberta Magazine Awards, her poems have been featured in publications across Canada including Best Canadian Poetry 2024. Originally from Calgary, she lives in Ottawa. This Bright Dust is Berkhout’s fourth novel.

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