Kennedy, A. L.: *1965

Looking for the Possible Dance, 1993 - Thematic Parallels: Self-Discovery

Kennedy, A. L.: Looking for the Possible Dance, 1993
The novel explores the complexities of love, loss, and self-discovery, examining how Margaret navigates grief, intimacy, and her place in the world.
The following books are thematically similar. They lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Chopin, Kate: The Awakening, 1899, ~200pp
  This novel centers on on a woman’s journey to self-awareness and independence.
  - Both novels interrogate how women can (Kennedy) or cannot (Chopin) claim space for their desires, voices, and identities in societies structured by constraint. They’re about freedom, risk, and the sometimes-painful cost of refusing prescribed roles.
- Hegi, Ursula: Salt Dancers, 1995, ~230pp
  This is an introspective novel that explores family secrets and a woman’s journey toward understanding herself.
  - Both novels use dance as metaphor, fractured memory, and father-daughter trauma to explore how women carry violence in their bodies and psyches, while still searching for healing and connection.
- Ng, Celeste: Everything I Never Told You, 2014, ~290pp
  This novel focuses on self-discovery and the complexities of personal and familial identity, especially in multicultural settings.
  - Both works emphasize how silence, unspoken desires, and fractured communication shape identity and relationships, often leading to pain, alienation, and loss.
- Smith, Zadie: On Beauty, 2005, ~440pp
  This novel deals with identity, self-understanding, and relationships.
  - Both works explore love, intimacy, and identity within the tension between ideals and lived reality. They probe how people search for meaning—whether through art, politics, or relationships—while acknowledging the inevitable messiness of human connection.
List of general discussion questions on Self-Discovery (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Self-Discovery (pdf)