I have not read the successful novel The Beekeeper of Aleppo which received so many good reviews so was looking forward to reading a book by the same author and I can say that now that I finished this I am going to add The Beekeeper of Aleppo to my To Be Read list.
The story centres around the domestic worker Nisha who after the death of her husband has left her daughter behind in Sri Lanka and travelled to Cyprus for work. She becomes a maid to a newly widowed pregnant woman Petra and has remained at her side as her young daughter Aliki grows up. Nisha meets and falls in love with a Songbirds poacher Yiannis who rents rooms at the top of Petras house, and worries that her job could be threatened if Petra discovers her relationship
One night after putting Aliki to bed, Nisha leaves the house and subsequently disappears.
Petra visits the police to report her maid missing but receives little support leading her to approach other migrant domestic workers to see if anyone can help her to discover what has happened to Nisha and after discovering the relationship Nisha had with Yiannis they work together to find out the truth.
The book changes points of view from Petras character to Yiannis character as the story unravels and you begin to empathise with the migrant domestic workers realising how hard they work, what they are forced to give up, the lack of support from agencies when they need it and how badly they are exploited.
Through the eyes of Petra you see a woman who as an employer has no knowledge of the life that her maid has only what she does for her and as she searches for Nisha she begins to understand more what these workers have gone through and respects what Nisha has done for her.
Through the eyes of Yiannis you see a man who is torn between the love of Nisha and the job he does which he knows is illegal and she does not approve of.
The story was heartbreaking, moving and full of description and definitely a page turner. I loved it.
The story centres around the domestic worker Nisha who after the death of her husband has left her daughter behind in Sri Lanka and travelled to Cyprus for work. She becomes a maid to a newly widowed pregnant woman Petra and has remained at her side as her young daughter Aliki grows up. Nisha meets and falls in love with a Songbirds poacher Yiannis who rents rooms at the top of Petras house, and worries that her job could be threatened if Petra discovers her relationship
One night after putting Aliki to bed, Nisha leaves the house and subsequently disappears.
Petra visits the police to report her maid missing but receives little support leading her to approach other migrant domestic workers to see if anyone can help her to discover what has happened to Nisha and after discovering the relationship Nisha had with Yiannis they work together to find out the truth.
The book changes points of view from Petras character to Yiannis character as the story unravels and you begin to empathise with the migrant domestic workers realising how hard they work, what they are forced to give up, the lack of support from agencies when they need it and how badly they are exploited.
Through the eyes of Petra you see a woman who as an employer has no knowledge of the life that her maid has only what she does for her and as she searches for Nisha she begins to understand more what these workers have gone through and respects what Nisha has done for her.
Through the eyes of Yiannis you see a man who is torn between the love of Nisha and the job he does which he knows is illegal and she does not approve of.
The story was heartbreaking, moving and full of description and definitely a page turner. I loved it.