A Good Read

The Island by Victoria Hislop

The story starts with Alexis taking a trip to Crete hoping to learn more about her mother Sofia’s history. Sofia has never been able to talk about her past, all Alexis knows is that her mother grew up in a small Cretan village, before moving to London. As the departure date approaches Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend Fotina, and promises that through her she will learn more. Accompanying Alexis is her boyfriend of five years, Ed. He’s a bit of a jerk, and Alexis is undecided about whether to continue with the relationship. The trip helps her make the decision.
Arriving in Plaka, Alexis sees that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at last she hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island.

Beautifully written with convincing characters. The primary subject matter of the book was well researched and very interesting and original - that of the fate of Leprosy sufferers in pre-war and wartime Greece when they were forcibly taken away from families and made to live in isolation. My knowledge of leprosy was limited to it being a biblical disease, portrayed as distasteful and frightening. The book revealed a different aspect to it, how the community organised their lives on the island and set up a democracy, having to establish living areas for different stages of the disease. Coping with the emotions of never seeing their loved ones again, and knowing that their families were subject to undercurrents of prejudice back on the mainland. Of living in isolated communities for years before the disfigurement and death happened.  But also living with hope that the experiments would eventually lead to a cure. Thankfully, both medicinal science and the attitude of society to serious illness have made massive advances since those days.

I quite liked the character of Maria, even though she was quite passive I think she was characterised very well. 

~Happy Reading ~

Polly x