Finalist for the 2026 International Book Awards Young, beautiful, and timid: Nina Abadie comes from an elite family of intellectual over-achievers. Still, all Nina wants when she grows up is to be loved by the perfect man, like in the fairytales she reads-or so she thinks. Hiding in her fantasy world calms the chaos that often charges through Nina's suburban home and city life, yet when threatened or afraid, fantasy becomes reality, punishing those who dare to be the source of her torment. A captivating blend of autobiographical fiction and magical realism, Dancer in the Bullpen charts the life of a Black woman growing up in the D.C. suburbs, the expectations that bind her, and the love that will set her free.