9 November 2023.
ISBN: 978-1-83793034-0 (HB)
London, 1954. Zina Pavlou, a Greek Cypriot woman who speaks no English, and can neither read nor write Greek, is accused of murdering her daughter-in-law, Hedy. Eva Georgiou is brought in as her interpreter but becomes more involved in the case than she expected as she realises, she’s the only person who believes Zina could be innocent.
This vivid, gripping story is told mostly in the third person, cutting from Eva and Zina in prison to Eva’s life at home, where she and her husband are struggling to reconnect after the loss of their baby, and giving flashbacks to the immediate past, with the story of Zina arriving in London to stay with her son, Mikaelis, Hedy and their children.
Some episodes take us further into Zina’s past, with her life as a hard-working peasant farmer in Cyprus, and her marriage and family. Gradually you come to understand what’s brought about the tragedy of Zina’s daughter-in-law’s death. The characters are completely believable. Eva is longing for life and colour, for things as they used to be with her husband, Jimmy, before her miscarriage, yet she’s unable to make the first move; she’s sorry for Zina, and wants to help her, feeling that she is the only one who can, yet she has no power to do anything.
You sympathise with Zina, coming over to her son only to find he and his wife want her as a cook and cleaner so that the wife can work, but at the same time you can see how alien they find her old-fashioned ways. Mikaelis, is torn between his modern German wife and his mother, whose ways he at least understands; Hedy just wants her gone. Zina longs to be a granny to Anna and baby Georgie, but Hedy won’t allow it.
London of the 50s is brought to life, particularly the contrast between the Club de Paris, with its colourful gowns and film star clientele, and the grimness of Holloway Prison. The ending both is and isn’t a surprise: the whole story has led up to it. The plot focus is on the murder, but the story also asks questions about how people who are seen as ‘other’ are treated.
Based on a true story, this
intriguing, moving novel joins unforgettable characters to an increasingly
difficult situation. I couldn’t put it down.
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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor
Eleni Kyriacou was born and brought up in London to Greek Cypriot parents. Never quite feeling completely British or Cypriot, she's always felt a Londoner and still adores the place, especially Soho. She's an award-winning editor and journalist and her writing has appeared in many publications, including the Guardian, the Observer, Marie Claire, Red and Stella, among others. She's written on a wide range of topics including adoption, relationships, travel, self-development, the arts and women's health. She's edited national magazines and is now freelance. Her first novel She Came to Stay was published by Hodder in 2020.
Marsali
Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and
came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time
teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two
Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by
history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as
a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys
exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama
group. Marsali also does a regular
monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.
Click on the title
to read a review of her recent book
Death
in A Shetland Lane
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