Alexis Fielding is a modern twenty five year old woman. She has a degree in archeology and a consuming interest in the past, a trait she shares with her father, Marcus. Alexis mother, Sophia is Cretan by birth but moved to England as a young woman. Sophia has always been reticent about her early years and has told Alexis and her brother Nick very little about their maternal heritage.

Alexis arrives in Plaka on a hot and sultry afternoon. She finds that the village is fairly remote, a small village situated on the coast and directly opposite an island. Alexis finds the cafe bar that is run by Fotini and her family, where she is given a very warm welcome by her Mother's old friend. She inquires about the island located just across the bay and is astounded to find that used to be used as a Leper colony and was in fact Greece's main leper colony from 1903 to 1957.

Alexis finds a boatman to take her to the now deserted island and spends a day among the now derelict buildings, taking in the atmosphere and peace of the place. On her return, Fotini begins to tell Alexis of her family's history. As the story unfolds, Alexis is stunned to discover that she is intimately connected with the tiny island of Spinalonga. Her own family was rent apart by the horror of the leprosy disease when her great grandmother, a local teacher named Eleni was struck with the disease. Eleni was torn from her husband and two daughters and banished to Spinalonga.

The plot moves with an easy flow and covers in great detail, leprosy, the various treatments that were tried, and the effects that the illness and then World War 2, had on Alexis' family. She comes to realise that her mother has harboured shame and resentment for the stigma that leprosy carried in her youth.

Victoria Hislop was born on 8th June 1959 in Bromley, Kent. She studied at St Hilda's College, Oxford and after university, Victoria's first job was in book publishing. From there she moved into advertising and public relations. When she had children, she became as a freelance journalist, she wrote on education and parenting for the Daily Telegraph, general features for women's magazines and travel writing for The Sunday Telegraph and The Mail on Sunday.

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I was given this book in 2007 by my aunt, who like myself is a veritable bookworm. We both read an eclectic selection of books and often pass our books on to each other. When she gave me The Island, she warned me that it was addictive reading. How right she was!
For a first novel, Ms Hislop has achieved nothing short of a masterpiece. The novel covers family secrets and drama, passion, war, the conditions and treatment of the residents of Spinalonga Leper colony. The plot is unusual and fast moving and the characters are superbly drawn. The storyline has all the elements that a good novel should contain, a real page turner but in a gentle fashion, no violence or disturbing behaviour, but a thought provoking, emotionally charged plot. The author must have conducted an immense amount of research into leprosy in order to write such a hauntingly lifelike account of life in a leper colony.
As I said, I was given this novel in 2007, I read and enjoyed it and have never really forgotten the novel. A month or two ago, I was waiting for my other half at the opticians. The receptionist was chatting away telling me about her recent holiday. It turned out that she had been to Crete and had visited Spinalonga. This incident reminded me that I wanted to re-read 'The Island' which I did. I have to say that I enjoyed the book just as much the second time around.
I would heartily recommend this novel to others, it is a remarkable book and the actual story line is haunting and memorable, in my opinion because it is fiction based on factual events.