Review: A Late Bloomer Seeks His Destiny in the Big City
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 11, 2014
As of this writing, I haven't read any of Sara Alexi's earlier Greek Village novels. As a result, I can't speak to how this may compare to  the others or fits in to the collection as a whole.IN THE SHADE OF THE MONKEY PUZZLE TREE takes place in the early 1970s. Theo is in his forties and works in his elderly father's cafe in a small Greek town several hours away from Athens. Though it's normal in Greek culture for an unmarried man to remain living with his parents, even into middle age, Theo is dissatisfied with his situation and the future that has been set out for him. He and his father butt heads often. Theo feels that the old man will forever see him as a child, and he yearns to make his mark somewhere outside his small town...in America or, at least, Athens. Finally unable to stand another achingly familiar day in his stifling little world, Theo pockets some of the cafe's takings and hops a bus to Athens, where he quickly learns that the Adriatic isn't any bluer on the other side of the Isle.I won't give away too many details about Theo's belated coming of age, but the people and situations he comes up against provide much of the charm of the novel. Time and again his honesty and sense of fair play is tested, and he toys with the idea of throwing away scruples and morality and becoming part of the jaded world he's chosen to inhabit. But once a man knows the right way to make a cup of Greek coffee--slowly, with care and deliberation--there's no way to un-know it. Theo is what Theo is. The question becomes can the person he is thrive in the big city or should he head back home? Is going home even an option after the way he's treated his father and the disillusionment he's suffered in Athens?Theo is a compelling character. For all that he spouts about not falling into his father's rut, his own aspirations are quite modest and traditional. He wants to make a living and get married. This contradiction in what he does (run away seeking excitement and glamour) and what he wants (a quiet life) might make Theo ridiculous. What saves him is his own realization that his rebellion is not only a failure...but pointless. He's ridiculous to himself. This combined with his genuine goodness is what makes him salvageable.I did have a problem with the romance in the book. Theo falls hard and early but the girl is easily forgotten until he remembers her. To be fair, the author makes him suffer for his neglect of the poor girl. It turns out that he very well might have taken on more than he expected with this particular love interest. And the resolution--of the romance and of Theo's mid-life crisis--is creative and satisfying.IN THE SHADE OF THE MONKEY PUZZLE TREE is a warm, rich read. I plan to seek out other novels in the The Greek Village Collection.