Island of secrets

'As I remember, the story started at about six o'clock in the morning on the fourteenth of September, 1943...'

All her life Angie 37-year-old London-born has been intrigued by her mother's secret past. Now, planning her own wedding she feels she must visit the remote Cretan village her mother grew up in, despite her objections. Unbeknownst to Angie her elderly grandmother, Maria, is dying. She wants to unburden herself of the terrible story that she will otherwise take to the grave.

It's the story of the time of the German occupation of Crete during the Second World War, of horror, of courage and of the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her children and of how you learn to go on in the aftermath of tragedy. And it's the story of bitter secrets that broke the family apart, and of three enchanting women who come together to heal wounds that have damaged two generations.

If you loved Victoria Hislop's THE ISLAND and the novels of Santa Montefiore and Rosanna Ley, you will fall completely in love with this novel. 


About the author

 

Patricia lived in the village of Amiras in Crete where her debut novel, 'The Island of Secrets' is set. She was inspired to write when she unearthed a machine gun in her garden - one used in the events that unfolded in September 1943, and much of the novel is based on real stories told to her by the oldest women of Amiras. Women who've never spoken of their experiences before. Patricia still spends much of her time in Greece.

My review

Although the premise of this story - a granddaughter going back to Greece to discover her family's secret past -  has been used many times before, the way in which this story unfolds will have you gripped. I thoroughly enjoyed both timelines, having discovered this author whilst on holiday on Crete. Like all good stories it will make you laugh and cry but you won't want the story to end. The twists and turns are well thought out and the suspense carries you along. The author's love of Greece clearly shows through the writing and as a fellow hellenophile, I learned a lot about the Cretan's suffering during WW2. I am now going to add Patricia Wilson to my list of favourite authors.