Castro's Dream

by Lucy Wadham

Astrid and Lola, sisters in exile in Paris, are inextricably linked to the separatist struggle in their native Basque country. They await the release from prison of Lola's lover Mikel, who has served twenty years for terrorist acts. But Mikel vanishes on release, sending both sisters on an increasingly frantic search that brings up their long-buried past. Full of sustained menace, of reluctant yet addictive relationships, Castro's Dream is a story of love and the forces that are its undoing

Genres: France, Spain

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Lucy Wadham is a British writer of crime and thriller novels, but her most widely reviewed work is her autobiographical account of her life in France.

Wadham was born in London in 1964 and educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. She has worked as a news assistant at the BBC Paris bureau since 1989. She is currently a freelance journalist and regularly contributes to The Independent, The Spectator, and The New Statesman. She lives in France with her four children.

Her first novel, 'Lost' (2000), a thriller set on Corsica was shortlisted for the Macallan Gold Dagger Award. The second novel, 'Castro's Dream' (2003), about the Basque terrorist movement, ETA is set in the Basque Country. Her latest book, 'The Secret Life of France,' is an autobiographical account of her life in France. She writes a regular blog on the same theme under the same name

Reviews

[Sam Romilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. There were many individual characters of depth who related to each other in original and surprising ways. The setting was original to say the least with the lead character being a transplant surgeon who had served time in prison for supporting the Basque ETA. A very European narrative from an English writer who writes a subtle story of attractions, love and obsessions against a background of family and terrorist intrigues that are only partly revealed giving a mysterious folkloric atmosphere.

[Shereen Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!