Island of Ghosts and Dreams
This powerfully evocative novel personifies Greek resistance to German invaders in WWII on the island of Crete. Maria, a villager whose whole world turns upside down in 1940, embodies the past, present, and future of Crete through her experiences of the war. Working alongside her father, herding sheep and tending olive groves with members of her extended family, her existence is suddenly and inextricably changed when she finds a British soldier washed up on the beach, barely alive. In saving him, her life takes on new and unexpected changes as the war reaches their village.
Connecting the history and mythology of Crete to WWII fighting, this novel shows the fierce sense of pride and belligerence of the Cretans in facing invaders to their island. Retreating to the mountains after the Germans have taken control, the fight continues for Maria and the band of British soldiers she joins as a Greek palikari, a warrior. Questions of loyalty, revenge, and agency over her own life, force Maria to confront the person she is becoming. Strong threads of love for family, friends, and fellow countrymen combine with her own personal love stories playing out in tumultuous and ever-changing circumstances. All of these changes will have ramifications for her as what she endured becomes the past and what she dreams of points to the future.
Fans of WWII historical fiction will find much to savor in this novel. It offers a unique setting, unforgettable characters, and an action-filled plot, all written in a style that is both compelling and thought-provoking. As a window into the culture of Crete past and present, this novel is highly recommended.
