The Island by Victoria Hislop

This is yet another novel that languished on my bookshelves waiting to be read for far too long.  A fictional story of a families ties to a real life setting.

Sofia and her daughter Alexis are not the heroines of this book as the blurb on the cover might lead you to believe but the descendants of this mother and daughter most certainly are the real protagonists.  Sofia had always felt humiliated by her past and kept it hidden from her husband and children for many years. It is only after Alexis expresses an interest in visiting Crete where her mother was born that Sofia has the chance to heal the wounds and perceive her ancestry in a totally different light.

The main bulk of the novel is the story of these ancestors as related by a friend from the past, Fotini.  It is an absorbing story of a family torn apart by tragedy, the root of which is mainly caused by leprosy.

I now feel I understand a little more about the stigma of Leprosy which sadly is a continuing problem in the 21^st Century in developing countries.

I thoroughly enjoyed this as it has much more depth to it than the average romantic novel.  It has also made me interested in visiting Crete, especially, Plaka  Elounda , Agios Nikolaos  and the island of  Spinalonga itself.

Entrance from the sea to the island of Spinalonga