Dancefloor, the second novel from Victor Jestin, traces the double life of Arthur, a solitary man on the cusp of forty. By day, he drifts through life in awkward silence; by night, he comes alive beneath the strobe lights of *The Beach*, a garish yellow nightclub by the docks. There, on the dancefloor, his inhibitions dissolve—each movement a declaration of selfhood that daylight never permits.

Written in Jestin’s taut, luminous prose, the novel is both a portrait of an outsider and a eulogy for a vanishing nightlife. With emotional precision, it captures the ache of loneliness, the fleeting communion of bodies in motion, and the fragile spaces where we can briefly become who we wish to be.

Dancefloor is a poignant, sharply observed character study that lingers long after the final page.

The Beach, a garish yellow nightclub on the docks, is the beating heart of Arthur’s life. For most, it is a rite of passage – a place to drink, flirt, dance, and then outgrow. For Arthur, it is everything. By day, he is solitary, awkward, and invisible; by night, he becomes the star of the floor, radiating confidence under the flashing lights and pulsing bass.

As he nears 40, the cracks begin to show. The staff start to worry, the regulars move on, and the closures of nightclubs nationwide threaten to take away the one place where Arthur truly feels alive. The question becomes not just how long can he keep dancing, but who will he be when the music stops?

Victor Jestin’s crystalline prose captures Arthur with both humour and heartbreak, making him one of the most endearing literary misfits in recent memory. This is a quiet but resonant exploration of identity, belonging, and the fragile spaces we build for ourselves when the world offers no room.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A sad story about loneliness and the innate need for all to find friendship, connection and love.
I felt thr tangible shyness and sadness of the protagonist and wanted him to succeed in his quest to find value in his life. But all he has is the nightclub the dancing and the emptiness that returns when its all over..... on repeat

Cringed at times due to brilliantly simpe but effective writing.

Such a great book! It really showcases society and its expectations and finding your place in the world no matter what point of life you are at! I highly enjoyed it

This just didn't do anything for me sadly. I felt similarly about Heatwave, so perhaps this author just isn't for me. I found it really difficult to get into and thought the characters were a bit flat.

An extraordinarily haunting book by French author Victor Jestin.
Arthur has always been lonely and socially awkward. He builds an alternative life for himself at a local nightclub, becoming a superb dancer. "In dance, life fell into place, settling into a system of rhythms and movements where even the silences followed a certain logic; it was as if a giant grid, a familiar filter, had been superimposed over what had always struck me as chaotic and uncontrollable."
He documents his encounters, and sadly they are mostly very brief.
All of us who remember nightclubs / discos will relate to the nostalgia. I wondered where the story would go, and the ending comes as a beautiful and unexpected surprise.
I loved how Arthur includes some of the music played at the nightclub, and I created a playlist. Bravo Jestin and the translator for this outstanding study of loneliness and alternative reality.

2.5 stars
I was expecting more from this book, given its premise and blurb. It follows Arthur, a man who spends every night at the same club in his town, longing to find a connection. His life cycles through the same repeated stories, with one night stands being the norm for him. This was a little boring to read in parts, and very repetitive with two dimensional characters.