Amongst my aliases in other places is "pinkpowderpuff"
Amongst my aliases in other places is "pinkpowderpuff"
Member since:21.08.2006
Reviews:53
Members who trust:53
Richard and Judy's book club have selected me another read. This time, Victoria Hislop, the wife of Ian of Private Eye and "Have I Got News For You" fame, authors this book. I believe this is her debut book and has none of the satirical leanings of her husband. If that were what you are expecting then you would be very disappointed. She is a journalist in her own right, after all, so any comment on her husband is really completely unnecessary. But I thought I would point it out as it is an unusual surname and people would probably wonder if there was any connection.
Anyway lets move onto the book itself. It is a sort of saga being a kind of family history of a Greek family from a small village in Crete spread over the last century. I like researching my own family history so that puts me onside straight away even if other peoples' families are not always so interesting as this one. It begins, however, with Alexis in present day London, about to decide on major changes to her life. She is drawn to her mother's past as means of helping her to make these decisions but nothing has
ever been spoken to her about it. Sofia, her mother, has only spoken of growing up in a Cretan village before moving to London. The rest is entirely secret, which indicates that it is not one of which to be proud. Alexis goes to Crete and meets Fotini an old friend of her mother. Sofia sends her a letter through Alexis giving her the green light to tell her daughter the previously undisclosed details of her upbringing. Through her the tale of Alexis's grandmother Eleni and her two daughters Anna and Maria is told. Eleni's husband, Georgiou is a constant through the story being the connection between the island and the mainland in more ways than one. He is the physical link as he is the boatman who takes all the people and supplies to and from the island. However, he is also the spiritual link as he is the only one to connect with both those in Spinalonga as well as Plaka.
The main feature is the island off the coast from the said small village of Plaka. This she discovers to be Spinalonga, which was Greece's main leper colony from 1903 to 1957. This island, as the book title kind of suggests, is the centre of the story and tells of this family's close connection with it. The book also tackles the predicament people find themselves in when they are diagnosed with leprosy and the related prejudice and taboos resulting.
Leprosy is a disease I previously associated with the Bible without really understanding its nature or cause. This book fills in this gap in my knowledge and portrays it in a truly human and humane way. People are not "unclean" but simply have a disease, however disfiguring and uncomfortable it makes you feel. It was shameful how they were isolated. However it shows that this isolation was not all bad. In fact in many ways their existence was better off than those of the poor villages of the mainland of Crete. There was an organised, democratic community that was supported by the state and consequently got better things than others. But a prison is still a prison and the deprivation of liberty and freedom of movement is a terrible thing for sick people to be treated like criminals. The predicament of those diagnosed is vividly described as is the taboos associated with the disease.
The author shows her extensive and intimate knowledge and research of the subject of leprosy and Spinalonga, which is a real place and housed the real leper colony. She brings the story to life very vividly and it was a real pleasure to read the book, as it was such easy reading. There are some lovely descriptions and well-drawn characters. However the descriptions of the whole Greek way of life, speech and interaction does not really feel authentic. It seemed to skip the war rather. The island remained isolated during the German occupation but the story features heavily on Plaka too. Having read Captain Corelli's Mandolin, I expected far more to be happening during that period and for everyone to be affected more deeply. But there is plenty more events that happened so I wasn't too disappointed.
The main part of the story is supposedly the telling of the past events by Fotini. It is not stated directly as so and probably wise to do so as she cannot know everything that is related in the story. Also the narrative is told from various points of view of the protagonists so how can it be Fotini describing events. This was rather off putting somewhat. I think that the parts featuring Alexis are merely a device to begin and end the narrative of the story of Eleni, Anna and Maria. It is not the most interesting part at all. Perhaps the author could have thought of a better way to start and finish the story.
However, all in all, I did enjoy reading the novel. It is a nice light read at bedtime to doze off with exotic images in your head and the developing family history. The location does have an evocative feel. If ever I find myself on Crete, which I really hope to do so, I shall be making sure I seek out the areas featured in this novel to see for myself. The now deserted island with its Venetian fortifications would be a wonderful sight to see. That, to me, indicates that the author has achieved a memorable piece of work.
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Oct 27th, 2006
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