Beautifully written and filled with high emotion, this might be Dinah Jefferies best book to date.
There is no doubting that Dinah Jefferies is an extraordinary writer when it comes to immersing her readers in another time and taking them to different part of the world so beautifully. Every aspect of the story and characters are consistently well thought out making for very satisfying reading.
For her latest novel, The Greek House, Jefferies sweeps the reader to Corfu in a story that spans over years allowingg us to get to know and understand Thirza and her family. Initially starting in 1923, Thirza and her family’s lives are torn apart when her brother Billy mysteriously goes missing during the Italian occupation of the island with no trace of him to be found.
The story then moves forward to 1930 with Thirza returning to the island to renovate the old family home in the hope that her mother Dulcie will one day want to return. But of course it is not that straight forward as memories of Billy and what happened begin to resurface for Thirza with secrets, grief, love and pain lying at the very heart of the story. It is a slow and simmering book that is filled with high emotion from start to finish that keeps the reader enthralled with every page. There is also romance at the centre and an unexpected complication because of this that threatens Thirza’s relationship with her mother, capturing just how complicated life can get.
As a writer, Jefferies is very vivid in ensuring that the reader feels immersed in their surroundings – but I was surprised at the explicitness of the intimate moments between Thirza and Emilio as well as the quickness in which their relationship developed.
This being said, this story is much more than about romance it is mainly about how one family deals with a tragic evbent and never really truly gains closure – as well as consequences to their actions as Dulcie’s cousin Columbine (a very tragic character) discovers.
As a story it is straight forward and easy to engage with as the reader gets to know the characters and different stories that soon collide in a powerful and devastating way. It has a lovely pace to it that gives the reader a chance to absorb everything that unfolds at their leisure.
By setting the story over such a long period of time, it also grounds the plot in realism highlighting the fact that grief has no time limit and the lasting impact it has on everyone. Yes, the characters are deeply flawed in different ways, but this is what makes the reader to be able to relate to them.
Overall, The Greek House is a beautiful and emotionally raw book that is well worth reading for anyone who has enjoyed the authors previous novels.
By Emma Clarendon
The Greek House is available to buy now.
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️