Children of the Catastrophe
In a steam bath in Smyrna in the Ottoman Empire in 1908, a Greek jeweler’s wife, Theodora, brushes the hair of her daughter, Liana, and instructs her on how to get noticed by other ladies seeking a match for their sons. Soon Liana is married off to Vasili, the son of a tobacco merchant. They start a family and lead a blissful life among their prosperous Greek relatives and Turkish and Armenian friends in peaceful pre-WWI Smyrna. It’s not long before the winds of war fuel tensions between the ethnic communities. Vasili’s Armenian friend suddenly leaves town, only writing to Vasili occasionally. Even when WWI breaks out, Smyrnaeans carry on living somewhat normally. The merchants continue to operate their shops, and Liana keeps her Turkish maid. However, matters take a turn for the worse when Mustafa Kemal’s troops invade Smyrna. Despite his orders not to harm civilians, the hostilities result in grave consequences for the Greek and Armenian families.
Sarah Shoemaker mentions on her website that she based this novel on “the catastrophe” of Smyrna she heard about from a friend of Greek heritage. Also, having lived in Turkey and Greece, her narrative provides intimate details of the topography, lives, customs, and cuisine of the inhabitants, which transport us to that region. While the events from WWI are noted throughout the novel, it concentrates mainly on the Greco-Turkish War that followed the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire and ended with the recapture of Smyrna by Turkey. The subplot of Vasili’s Armenian friend and his life is somewhat brief and invites a sequel that could dwell a bit more on the fate of Armenians following WWI. The saga of the Smyrnaean Greek families, although interesting, makes for a long build-up to the “catastrophe” in the ending chapters.
