Imagine....

North of Ithaka by Eleni Gage

Imagine, if you will, a family bereaved violently by the arrest, torture and execution of a woman.
Imagine what it must have been like to be that family, exiled far from home by the atrocities of war and living with the knowledge that family, friends and neighbours had been murdered, yet they had escaped to freedom.

Imagine that this was your family, your grandmother that had been murdered, and deciding to leave a successful life in Manhattan to go back to your family`s ancestral village and rebuild your grandmother`s home, despite prophecies of doom, gloom, death and disaster from formidable Aunts.

This is what Eleni Gage did, and she chronicles her new life in Lia, Northern Greece with the love and eloquence that bears tribute to the strength of roots and family and the desire to search out the truth.
She does eventually manage to reconcile her family to her decision, and has many adventures on the way. Most telling of all are her determined attempts to follow the traditions and customs of "her" village relating to almost every facet of everyday life, including attending Church very frequently indeed and finding her spiritual life deepening.

This is a delightful book, which I have re-read and will now be buying my own copy rather than hogging the local library`s copy ! The photographs are lovely, and make me hanker to visit Greece again one day.......

Share with friends using the share button below.