Acquired 02 May 2008 – gift from the author

Makis does it again, with an absorbing, elegantly plotted and excellently-peopled slice of life in 1980s Cyprus. Young Socrates leads a life of unalloyed pleasure, out making fireworks and causing havoc with his two best friends, all their exciting possessions stashed in the shed of gentle Andrico, the town simple man. But darkness clouds their carefree lives, Marco’s dad’s violences gets worse and worse, and there’s a crime committed that sends shockwaves – and waves of gossip – through the village.

The characters are so well observed and really come alive, even more secondary characters like Petri, wide boy army lad in his John Travolta suit, and Kyriacos, owner of a dodgy arcade and full of plots to lure widows. Both of these chaps are seen as real, complex people with choices to make for good or for bad.

The scene is set beautifully too, with sounds and smells mixing with sights to produce a really evocative background.

I think this may be her best work so far!

And yes, I will be sending it (or another copy) on a bookring!