Victoria Hislop

Athens 1941. After decades of political uncertainty, Greece is polarised between left and right when the Germans invade. Fifteen-year-old Themis comes from a family divided by these political differences, differences deepened by the German invasion. She watches friends die in the ensuing famine and is moved to commit acts of resistance. In the civil war that follows, Themis joins the Communist army, where she experiences the extremes of love and hatred and the paradoxes presented by a war in which Greek fights Greek. Eventually imprisoned on the infamous islands of exile, Makronisos and then Trikeri, Themis finds she must weigh her principles against her desire to escape and live. As she looks back on her life, Themis realises how tightly the personal and political can become entangled. While some wounds heal, others deepen. This powerful new novel from Victoria Hislop sheds light on the complexity and trauma of Greece’s past and weaves it into the epic tale of an ordinary woman compelled to live an extraordinary life.