Review: Utterly charming
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 14, 2014
It is ancient Greece and Efimios, servant to Goddess Athena, rebels and flings her necklace, the sign of his bondage, into the sea. . .So begins one of the most unusual novels I have ever read. It is Efimios’ son, Phevos, who continues the tale, when he suddenly finds himself and his sister, Daphne, transported to modern day Athens. He knows he has a mission to fulfil but the only clue he is given is to look for the signs.In Athens he meets and is befriended by a brother and sister, Ksenia and Manos, whose parents mysteriously disappeared one night eleven years before – oddly at the same time that Phevos lost his own mother. Can there be a connection?This story is fascinating on several fronts. It tells us something of the Greek gods, particularly Athena, and it tells us rather more about modern Greek life, family values and loyalty.I found some of the narrative scenes quite lyrical. The description of the Plaka area, where Ksenia and Manos live, took me straight back to the cheerfulness and ebullience of Athens. I could almost see the colours and smell the aromas.What is perhaps most surprising is that this author is not writing in her native tongue. This results in some charming Greek idioms creeping into the text, which enhances the feeling of being in another place.There is mystery and excitement in this book, but perhaps its main message is about how the Greek people feel about their country and about each other.I found it utterly charming. I think you will too.