Elyse’s debut novel, Maya & Natasha, is forthcoming from Mariner Books on February 18, 2025.
Leningrad, 1958. Twin sisters Maya and Natasha have worked their whole lives in the pursuit of one goal: to dance with the Kirov Ballet, like their late mother. But a new law from the Kremlin upends Maya and Natasha’s lives: due to fears of defection, family members may no longer travel abroad together. The Kirov can only accept one of them.
As the Cold War heats up, Maya and Natasha must confront their loyalties: to East versus West; to the government that saved them versus their dreams of freedom; and, always, to each other.