Christy Lefteri’s inspiration for this novel had its roots in a real life case in Cyprus, where five foreign domestic workers and two children had gone missing. When the women were reported missing, because they were foreign, the police did nothing to investigate their disappearance, the assumption being that they had simply moved on. However, it was later discovered that all had been murdered. The author says she ‘felt so saddened by the inhumanity and injustice of this. I felt compelled to shine a light on this situation and the deeply rooted institutionalised racism that prevented the police from launching a search party.’ I think she has succeeded in her aim because she has reminded me of how shocked and angry I felt in 2019 as I followed the unfolding story in the newspapers. Although her novel isn’t directly about that real-life case, reading it not only reignited those original feelings of outrage but has made me think much more deeply about the attitudes and practices which enable such casual disregard for our fellow human beings, just as it reminded me of the disgust I feel about the abhorrent practice of netting migratory birds.
Christina Lefteri’s rather lyrical narrative style and her highly evocative descriptions of the flora, fauna and landscape of Cyprus, could have belied the dark seriousness of the subject matter. However, this was far from the case because I truly can’t recall ever having read a novel which has kept me in an almost perpetual state of anger, outrage and disgust at the injustices being described. As these feelings had already been triggered by the end of page three, it’s clear that the author has an admirable capacity for making her words pack a powerful punch. Not only did she create convincing main characters to convey her impassioned themes, but her portrayals of the more minor ones were equally impressive. It is through the eyes of each of these characters that the reader gradually gets to ‘see’ Nisha but it isn’t until the final couple of pages of the story that she’s given her own voice. Although this could have felt frustrating, I think it was a masterly decision on the part of the author because it’s Nisha’s words which pull so many of the story’s thought-provoking themes together. Although so many of these are disturbing, frequently making the story feel hauntingly sad, it is also a story of forgiveness, redemption and the power of love. It would make an excellent choice for reading groups.
With thanks to the publisher and Readers First for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Christina Lefteri’s rather lyrical narrative style and her highly evocative descriptions of the flora, fauna and landscape of Cyprus, could have belied the dark seriousness of the subject matter. However, this was far from the case because I truly can’t recall ever having read a novel which has kept me in an almost perpetual state of anger, outrage and disgust at the injustices being described. As these feelings had already been triggered by the end of page three, it’s clear that the author has an admirable capacity for making her words pack a powerful punch. Not only did she create convincing main characters to convey her impassioned themes, but her portrayals of the more minor ones were equally impressive. It is through the eyes of each of these characters that the reader gradually gets to ‘see’ Nisha but it isn’t until the final couple of pages of the story that she’s given her own voice. Although this could have felt frustrating, I think it was a masterly decision on the part of the author because it’s Nisha’s words which pull so many of the story’s thought-provoking themes together. Although so many of these are disturbing, frequently making the story feel hauntingly sad, it is also a story of forgiveness, redemption and the power of love. It would make an excellent choice for reading groups.
With thanks to the publisher and Readers First for a copy in exchange for an honest review.