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In the Shadow of the Green Line
After losing her job as a research scientist, Alexa Karras goes to Cyprus to clear her mind. Once there, she embarks on a quest to trace the origins of a Byzantine crucifix. But the mission turns deadly when she stumbles on a plot to overthrow the island's government.
303 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2002
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April 5, 2013
I got this one as a used hardback from Amazon for a buck. I actually searched for it because I read every piece of fiction written about Cyprus. Petrou did a great job crafting a story with some excellent and believable characters along with a plausible mystery.
As one intimately familiar with the setting for this novel, I didn't like the persistent references to Greeks and Turks in the passages where she was describing the local Cypriot people. They would have been more accurately described as Greek or Turkish speaking Cypriots. The way the political situation was described, it was clear that Ms. Petrou, perhaps unintentionally, presented a one sided point of view. As a life long geographer, I'm always tripped up when people use incorrect terms. Petrou's main character, Alexa Karras often gazed out over the "ocean" while on Cyprus. The Mediterranean is a sea and Alexa could just as easily watched the sun sink below the sea's horizon.
This novel was written in 2002. Not much has changed in Cyprus since then. Sadly, the UN's political reunification proposal was rejected by the Greek Cypriots in Spring 2004. As a result, Cyprus remains in a political status quo.
Regardless of the author's perspective on Cypriot history, I did enjoy the story and the writing. Petrou has a talent for fiction and I hope to locate and read her other works.
As one intimately familiar with the setting for this novel, I didn't like the persistent references to Greeks and Turks in the passages where she was describing the local Cypriot people. They would have been more accurately described as Greek or Turkish speaking Cypriots. The way the political situation was described, it was clear that Ms. Petrou, perhaps unintentionally, presented a one sided point of view. As a life long geographer, I'm always tripped up when people use incorrect terms. Petrou's main character, Alexa Karras often gazed out over the "ocean" while on Cyprus. The Mediterranean is a sea and Alexa could just as easily watched the sun sink below the sea's horizon.
This novel was written in 2002. Not much has changed in Cyprus since then. Sadly, the UN's political reunification proposal was rejected by the Greek Cypriots in Spring 2004. As a result, Cyprus remains in a political status quo.
Regardless of the author's perspective on Cypriot history, I did enjoy the story and the writing. Petrou has a talent for fiction and I hope to locate and read her other works.
Displaying 1 of 1 review