ISLAND OF SECRETS by PATRICIA WILSON

ISLAND OF SECRETS

BY PATRICIA WILSON

THE BLURB:-

'As I remember, the story started on the fourteenth of September, 1943...'

All her life, London-born Angelika has been intrigued by her mother's secret past. Now planning her wedding, she knows she must visit the remote Crete village her mother grew up in.

Angie's estranged grandmother; Maria, is dying. She welcomes Angie with open arms- it's time to unburden herself, and tell the story she'll otherwise take to her grave.

It's the story 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 it's the story of secrets that broke a family apart, and of three enchanting women who come together to heal the wounds of two generations.

THE REALITY:-

This is totally and utterly based upon true stories- those whispered to the author by the oldest women of Amiras, Crete, during the author's time as a resident of that island. And what a history lesson it is! It's about events I'd previously not known about, not being an intense student of the Second World War.  But learning about such things via a novel's teachings was a really fantastic way to find out exactly what went on. Truth disguised as fiction? Definitely.

It is not a pretty story. It's a story about deprivations, suffering and the kind of atrocities those of us who haven't experienced war, or an occupied country, really do not understand first hand. Nobody should have to understand that first hand, as it's an abomination; which parts of this novel describe searingly truthfully.

The only problem I had with this otherwise great read is a bit of confusion with regard to the characters: who was related to whom, who didn't know they were related to whom and who found out who they were really related to... and so on. I think you get the picture! And with new people thrown in from left field, and several different generations on the go, it sometimes got a bit muddled. Generally speaking, though, there was a good mix of interesting people and a twisting turning, gripping storyline. I wouldn't describe this as unputdownable; rather a book like a soap opera- one you could shove to one side and reconnect with, but where you sometimes had to backtrack and ask questions to work a couple of things out.

I enjoyed finding out about the social history of Crete, with regards to both wartime and the modern day- what people ate, what people wore, what their beliefs, superstitions and customs were, etc.  The main characters, Poppy and Angelika, were very real and likeable and threw up some interesting scenarios in their mother/daughter relationship. And that's all I'm telling you! Read it yourself- it will be worth the effort.