This story hooked me from the opening pages and quickly became a book I did not want to put down.
Set in Cyprus the story is told from the alternating perspectives of Petra and Yiannis who are both searching for a woman named Nisha who has gone missing. Nisha is employed by Petra to care for her daughter and her home and Yiannis is in a loving relationship with Nisha which they have kept a secret.
Taking inspiration from real events and people, Lefteri draws attention to the plight of women like Nisha, originally from Sri Lanka who moved to Cyprus leaving her daughter behind, to earn a living to support her family back home and the lack of protection and welfare support from the country. The authorities lack of interest or action when Nisha and other foreign workers go missing is shocking.
I liked getting to know Nisha through the eyes of two characters who viewed her very differently and Petra's growth over the course of the story from a woman who took Nisha for granted and viewed her as an employee rather than a person, to realising the importance and impact Nisha had on her and her daughter's lives was brilliantly portrayed.
The storyline about the poaching of Songbirds made for difficult reading but the symbolism of these tiny precious birds was beautiful and really added to the emotional power of the novel.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.
Set in Cyprus the story is told from the alternating perspectives of Petra and Yiannis who are both searching for a woman named Nisha who has gone missing. Nisha is employed by Petra to care for her daughter and her home and Yiannis is in a loving relationship with Nisha which they have kept a secret.
Taking inspiration from real events and people, Lefteri draws attention to the plight of women like Nisha, originally from Sri Lanka who moved to Cyprus leaving her daughter behind, to earn a living to support her family back home and the lack of protection and welfare support from the country. The authorities lack of interest or action when Nisha and other foreign workers go missing is shocking.
I liked getting to know Nisha through the eyes of two characters who viewed her very differently and Petra's growth over the course of the story from a woman who took Nisha for granted and viewed her as an employee rather than a person, to realising the importance and impact Nisha had on her and her daughter's lives was brilliantly portrayed.
The storyline about the poaching of Songbirds made for difficult reading but the symbolism of these tiny precious birds was beautiful and really added to the emotional power of the novel.
Thank you to Readers First for the copy of this book.