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Little One
Peter Papathanasiou is the son of migrants and grandson of refugees. His parents emigrated from Greece to Australia in 1956 but were unable to have children, a huge sorrow - and shame - for them among Australia's Greek community and their own family. Finally, in 1973, Peter's uncle and aunt in Greece offered to have a baby and give it to his parents to raise as their own in Australia. Peter was that baby, born in 1974 and given up by his biological parents so that a childless sister could become a mother.
Peter grew up an only child in Australia, finally discovering his true parentage in 1999 when his mother revealed the secret of his birth and the sacrifice that lay behind. By then, Peter's birth mother had died, but he found he had two older brothers still living in northern Greece. This is where the story begins.
What follows is a moving and compelling memoir of family and place, as Peter traces his parents' journey to Australia, their struggle as migrants, and the very different world that they came from - a world where the bond of family was so strong, a husband and wife were prepared to make an extraordinary gift.
Peter grew up an only child in Australia, finally discovering his true parentage in 1999 when his mother revealed the secret of his birth and the sacrifice that lay behind. By then, Peter's birth mother had died, but he found he had two older brothers still living in northern Greece. This is where the story begins.
What follows is a moving and compelling memoir of family and place, as Peter traces his parents' journey to Australia, their struggle as migrants, and the very different world that they came from - a world where the bond of family was so strong, a husband and wife were prepared to make an extraordinary gift.
- GenresMemoirNonfiction
306 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 3, 2019
2 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Peter Papathanasiou
14 books42 followersPeter Papathanasiou was born in northern Greece in 1974 and adopted as a baby to an Australian family. His debut book, a memoir, was published in 2019 as "Son of Mine" by Salt Publishing (UK) and "Little One" by Allen & Unwin (Australia). His debut novel, a work of crime fiction, was published in 2021 as "The Stoning" by MacLehose Press (UK) and Transit Lounge (Australia), and in 2022 by Polar Verlag (Germany). Peter's writing has otherwise been published by The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Seattle Times, The Guardian UK, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Good Weekend, ABC and SBS. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from City, University of London; a Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Sciences from The Australian National University (ANU); and a Bachelor of Laws from ANU specialising in criminal law.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 28, 2019
This is a great memoir with a lot of heart. Very well written and proof that truth is stranger than fiction. I particularly enjoyed the chapters set in Greece.
February 17, 2020
Though there were some great moments in this autobiography and a story that could have been part of many families, what really got to me was the fact that this book needed some more editing. The Chapters on Peter's work with isolating genes from lab rats could have been entirely cut out, as well as the irrelevant bits such as his adult "circumcision" story (too much information there) and we really didn't need to read about his wife's "lovely petite body." (I kind of cringed when I read that bit.) There are many more examples, and the story keeps jumping back and forth at times, instead of following a linear trajectory.
In short, the story would have had more impact in fewer pages.
In short, the story would have had more impact in fewer pages.
February 8, 2022
A well-written, very personal memoir. But it was all so pedestrian—yes, even with the "extraordinary secret" of the title—that I never could care. It seemed like it was written for Papathanasiou's family, rather than the general public.
> the realisation of having missed meeting my biological mother. I recalled a memory of a time she called our house and Mum asked me to come and speak with ‘an aunty in Greece’. I had refused, claiming there was no point talking with another distant relative I’d never actually meet; and if I did, I would probably never remember. That ridiculously immature attitude stabbed at me. I felt like a fool
> Elizabeth had heard Vasilios introducing his four children by saying: ‘I have two children and two girls.’ He sometimes even referred to his daughters as his ‘two guests’ to signify that Soultana and Elizabeth’s permanent homes were actually those of their future husbands
> the realisation of having missed meeting my biological mother. I recalled a memory of a time she called our house and Mum asked me to come and speak with ‘an aunty in Greece’. I had refused, claiming there was no point talking with another distant relative I’d never actually meet; and if I did, I would probably never remember. That ridiculously immature attitude stabbed at me. I felt like a fool
> Elizabeth had heard Vasilios introducing his four children by saying: ‘I have two children and two girls.’ He sometimes even referred to his daughters as his ‘two guests’ to signify that Soultana and Elizabeth’s permanent homes were actually those of their future husbands
June 28, 2019
Beautifully written and moving family story spanning multiple generations and the different challenges they faced. The different stories told of the different generations - of refugees expelled from their homes following conflict, migrants trying to make a new life in a foreign country, families facing challenges with fertility, and an adoptee discovering the truth of his birth - are skilfully woven together to convey themes of identity and belonging. I couldn't put it down
July 27, 2019
I finished Peter's memoir last night and I loved it so much! Peter writes beautifully and profoundly about the significance of family, the courage and determination it takes to forge a meaningful life and how love requires responsibility and sometimes a deep level of sacrifice. He also writes about adoption.
As someone who is also adopted, I was curious and excited to read this book. And after I'd finished, I dwelled for a while on why the story resonated with me so very much. Peter's adoption story is so very different to mine.
People who are not adopted are highly curious about what the experience is like and I think that the stereotyping associated with the practice of adoption, especially from an earlier generation, is often incorporated in a series of wide eyed questions: did you know you were adopted? Did you meet your parents? Did you want to?
'Little One' traces an experience that shifts way beyond such fascinations and tells a real story about complicated people and demonstrates that there are as many 'adoption' stories as there are families. Which is an aspect of this book I really appreciated. And perhaps that's one reason for why the narrative rang true in my head. There was no reductionism of truth here.
Most of all I loved Peter's portrait of his mother, Elizabeth. Yes, she was his adopted mother, but I'm going to refer to her as his mother. Because of course, she was. She went to such literal and metaphorical lengths to have him. And loved him so proudly. The images of her early married life in Canberra, and the difficulties associated with being unable to speak English, unable to bear a child within a culture that values family so strongly and being uprooted from her country and support people, speaks to enormous strength and perseverance. Most times, I forgot I was reading a memoir. It felt like a novel. I loved the 'character' Elizabeth. She fought all the way.
Technically, the narrative structure and the switching points of view highlighted the difference between Australian and Greek culture. And the vivid imagery and symbolism (for example, the blue rug that begins the story and ends it) was so perfectly integrated I flew through the words but was left with a deep underlying emotion. Towards the end of the book I cried.
The final impression that lays with me, after finishing Peter's book, is that the love between parents and children is equally fierce, whether those children are adopted or not. And I like that validation and it warms my heart. Thank you!
As someone who is also adopted, I was curious and excited to read this book. And after I'd finished, I dwelled for a while on why the story resonated with me so very much. Peter's adoption story is so very different to mine.
People who are not adopted are highly curious about what the experience is like and I think that the stereotyping associated with the practice of adoption, especially from an earlier generation, is often incorporated in a series of wide eyed questions: did you know you were adopted? Did you meet your parents? Did you want to?
'Little One' traces an experience that shifts way beyond such fascinations and tells a real story about complicated people and demonstrates that there are as many 'adoption' stories as there are families. Which is an aspect of this book I really appreciated. And perhaps that's one reason for why the narrative rang true in my head. There was no reductionism of truth here.
Most of all I loved Peter's portrait of his mother, Elizabeth. Yes, she was his adopted mother, but I'm going to refer to her as his mother. Because of course, she was. She went to such literal and metaphorical lengths to have him. And loved him so proudly. The images of her early married life in Canberra, and the difficulties associated with being unable to speak English, unable to bear a child within a culture that values family so strongly and being uprooted from her country and support people, speaks to enormous strength and perseverance. Most times, I forgot I was reading a memoir. It felt like a novel. I loved the 'character' Elizabeth. She fought all the way.
Technically, the narrative structure and the switching points of view highlighted the difference between Australian and Greek culture. And the vivid imagery and symbolism (for example, the blue rug that begins the story and ends it) was so perfectly integrated I flew through the words but was left with a deep underlying emotion. Towards the end of the book I cried.
The final impression that lays with me, after finishing Peter's book, is that the love between parents and children is equally fierce, whether those children are adopted or not. And I like that validation and it warms my heart. Thank you!
June 28, 2019
This is a beautiful, heartwarming memoir that tells multiple stories of love and sacrifice, of family and connectedness and hope. Beginning at the moment a young geneticist learns he is adopted (the irony!), the story moves forwards and backwards in time with two alternating narrators - the geneticist and his mother. Ultimately spanning over a hundred years of a single family, in so many ways, it's a story about crossing borders to achieve what's necessary to feel alive and leave a mark. The book is warm and empathetic, evocative and poignant, but without being gushy, which is always a tricky balance to strike. There are also more thought-provoking moments relating to genetics, science, adoption, IVF, belonging and identity. Filled with incredibly powerful scenes, I still find them resonating in me, even a week after putting it down. It is also flawlessly written and meticulously constructed. An absolutely inspirational story which I can't recommend enough.
June 28, 2019
This is a beautiful, heartwarming memoir that tells multiple stories of love and sacrifice, of family and connectedness and hope. Beginning at the moment a young geneticist learns he is adopted (the irony!), the story moves forwards and backwards in time with two alternating narrators - the geneticist and his mother. Ultimately spanning over a hundred years of a single family, in so many ways, it's a story about crossing borders to achieve what's necessary to feel alive and leave a mark. The book is warm and empathetic, evocative and poignant, but without being gushy, which is always a tricky balance to strike. There are also more thought-provoking moments relating to genetics, science, adoption, IVF, belonging and identity. Filled with incredibly powerful scenes, I still find them resonating in me, even a week after putting it down. It is also flawlessly written and meticulously constructed. An absolutely inspirational story which I can't recommend enough.
June 29, 2019
Reviews on Goodreads and in the popular media hinted that this book was going to be good, but reading it surpassed even those expectations.
A fascinating memoir of family, sacrifice and hope. A story of identity and culture, of fertility and infertility, and of the overwhelming ache to be a parent, to give meaning and purpose to existence. An incredible story of refugees and the migrant experience that more than once brought me to tears, often with Elizabeth's story, the author's mother. And the author's brothers Billy and George are priceless. There's just so many layers, and all written so utterly exquisitely, with the tenderness and meticulousness of a clearly very skilled author who is as mindful of his readers as he was his own journey.
I loved it from start to finish and recommend it highly.
A fascinating memoir of family, sacrifice and hope. A story of identity and culture, of fertility and infertility, and of the overwhelming ache to be a parent, to give meaning and purpose to existence. An incredible story of refugees and the migrant experience that more than once brought me to tears, often with Elizabeth's story, the author's mother. And the author's brothers Billy and George are priceless. There's just so many layers, and all written so utterly exquisitely, with the tenderness and meticulousness of a clearly very skilled author who is as mindful of his readers as he was his own journey.
I loved it from start to finish and recommend it highly.
June 30, 2019
A beautifully written story that could only have been told by a talented author , a son who loves and understands and is able to convey with simple eloquence not only his own story but importantly the story of his Greek mother whether genetic or not . Ive noticed the older generations of Greek woman who have rich stories to tell are typically silent as they were taught to be. It’s so wonderful to read this story. I would recommend it highly and I would seek out any further future endeavours by this author.
June 29, 2019
Beautifully written and moving family story spanning multiple generations and the different challenges they faced. The different stories told of the different generations - of refugees expelled from their homes following conflict, migrants trying to make a new life in a foreign country, families facing challenges with fertility, and an adoptee discovering the truth of his birth - are skillfully woven together to convey themes of identity and belonging. I couldn't put it down.
July 4, 2019
This is a beautifully written story. The author uses his adoption story to skilfully tap into the wider themes of family, identity and the migrant experience, which is what ultimately makes this book broadly appealing. On completion, I could not help but ruminate on what meaning these issues had for me personally. A great read.
June 29, 2019
This is a great memoir with a lot of heart. Very well written and proof that truth is stranger than fiction. I particularly enjoyed the chapters set in Greece.
February 19, 2020
A Greek woman’s brother says he and his wife will have a baby and give it to his sister. They don’t tell the child till the biological mother is dead. The child finally only meets his 2 brothers, one disabled. I didn’t think I wanted to read it but it was quite interesting.
June 29, 2019
Fascinating insight into the European post war migrant experience, and a great piece of Australian, and personal, cultural history. Well written and an engaging tale.
October 20, 2019
I really enjoyed this - it was fascinating to dip in and out of different parts of the author's life, including the circumstances behind his adoption. 5 stars for me :)
January 19, 2020
This is an exceptionally well written memoir.
September 27, 2022
Excellent portayal of the long term impact of decisions we make in families and the migrant experience
October 2, 2022
An achingly wonderful story of love and life, lost and found
September 11, 2021
The story about his “adoption” the family hardships and the migrant experiences were all a pleasure to read. Unfortunately I found the author himself quite boring and uninteresting.
I would have preferred to read more about his relatives and about his parents to be honest. I feel that he didn’t do enough research within his own family. He could have gotten more information for the book from his brothers and parents. What a wasted opportunity.
I would have preferred to read more about his relatives and about his parents to be honest. I feel that he didn’t do enough research within his own family. He could have gotten more information for the book from his brothers and parents. What a wasted opportunity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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June 5, 2019LITTLE ONE by Peter Papathanasiou is published by Allen & Unwin, June 2019
Review by Lorraine Parker
Little One is an outstanding, beautifully crafted memoir of what it meant to Peter, to be told in 1999, that his identity is not a biological truth.
Peter, is a geneticist, the only son of Greek parents, Elizabeth and Bill who migrated to Australia in 1956. Having children is the ultimate in a Greek community. Despair, sorrow and shame surround Bill and Elizabeth after many years of loss and childlessness.
I appreciated and was immersed in Elizabeth’s life as she struggled with failure, isolation from her family and with adaption to life in Hatchet (Canberra) in the 1960’s. Such a contrast to the closeness and familiarity of life in the village of Florina, Italy.
The depiction of a patriarchal society is so vividly interwoven in the early pages of the book and brings so much empathy, compassion and understanding of just how Peter’s mother’s brother and wife Anna came to give their third child, born in 1974 to Elizabeth and Bill.
What a journey it was for Elizabeth, now 40, back to Florina where she is amazed that living conditions in Florina have not changed, even down to the non-flushing of toilet paper. Fear that the biological parents would change their minds is continually with her. There is so much love and sacrifice that contrasts with the toxic comments from one of the Greek relatives.
Peter’s quest to understand his own identity and journey to meet his biological parents and brothers is profound. His career as a geneticist underpins, and is a backdrop to his story. An extremely interesting one as he eventually becomes involves in stem cell research.
What of Peter himself? Will he marry? Will he have children? There has not been a girl born into the family for 90 years. What of his new found brothers?
This is a brilliant auto-biography. Peter addresses every issue and aspect of living; of Greek heritage, success and failure, of birth and death, positivity and negativity, of being male or female. He reveals the pull of the old country, acceptance, understanding and encompassment of change. Most of all the power of love.
An enriching read for everyone.
Review by Lorraine Parker
Little One is an outstanding, beautifully crafted memoir of what it meant to Peter, to be told in 1999, that his identity is not a biological truth.
Peter, is a geneticist, the only son of Greek parents, Elizabeth and Bill who migrated to Australia in 1956. Having children is the ultimate in a Greek community. Despair, sorrow and shame surround Bill and Elizabeth after many years of loss and childlessness.
I appreciated and was immersed in Elizabeth’s life as she struggled with failure, isolation from her family and with adaption to life in Hatchet (Canberra) in the 1960’s. Such a contrast to the closeness and familiarity of life in the village of Florina, Italy.
The depiction of a patriarchal society is so vividly interwoven in the early pages of the book and brings so much empathy, compassion and understanding of just how Peter’s mother’s brother and wife Anna came to give their third child, born in 1974 to Elizabeth and Bill.
What a journey it was for Elizabeth, now 40, back to Florina where she is amazed that living conditions in Florina have not changed, even down to the non-flushing of toilet paper. Fear that the biological parents would change their minds is continually with her. There is so much love and sacrifice that contrasts with the toxic comments from one of the Greek relatives.
Peter’s quest to understand his own identity and journey to meet his biological parents and brothers is profound. His career as a geneticist underpins, and is a backdrop to his story. An extremely interesting one as he eventually becomes involves in stem cell research.
What of Peter himself? Will he marry? Will he have children? There has not been a girl born into the family for 90 years. What of his new found brothers?
This is a brilliant auto-biography. Peter addresses every issue and aspect of living; of Greek heritage, success and failure, of birth and death, positivity and negativity, of being male or female. He reveals the pull of the old country, acceptance, understanding and encompassment of change. Most of all the power of love.
An enriching read for everyone.
June 22, 2019
Self-absorbed memoir by a rambling narcissist.
This guy finds out he is adopted and then somehow convinces a publisher that his story is unique and interesting.
Boring and ridiculous.
This guy finds out he is adopted and then somehow convinces a publisher that his story is unique and interesting.
Boring and ridiculous.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews