Letters From Yelena

’It’s unusual to find a young male writer who can write with such sensitivity and maturity. Guy Mankowski’s portrayal of the ballerina Yelena is wholly convincing, taking us inside her thoughts and feelings as she describes the course of her life, from harrowing childhood to professional success, punctuated with turbulent emotional crisis. This is clearly a writer of great talent.’

​

Dr. Andrew Crumey, Longlisted for The Man Booker Prize

’My letters to you, my darling Noah, will be maps, in which I hope I can be found.’
Yelena, a brilliant but flawed Ukrainian ballerina, comes to the UK to fulfil her dreams and dance in one of ballet’s most prestigious roles: Giselle.
While researching content for his new book, Yelena meets Noah, and here begins a journey of discovery. Life takes an unexpected turn, and the two write letters in which they try to provide a blueprint of their lives and find their way back to each other.
But during this process, Yelena visits the darkest corners of her life and, before she knows it, her past begins to catch up with her in ways she can’t control. A dark, intricate labyrinth, Letters from Yelena explores the depths of one woman’s own inner torment, the extremes to which we can be taken, and whether or not there is a way out.

Guy Mankowski graduated with a Masters from Newcastle University and a Psychology degree from Durham before forming a Dickensian pop band called Alba Nova, releasing one EP. After that he started working as a psychologist at The Royal Hospital in London. Guy now works at a psychotherapy clinic in Newcastle. He is the author of The Intimates.