Carrie's life is on a precipice. She is barely making ends meet as an author of children's books, her mortgage payments are about to sky rocket due to rising interest rates, and her teenage daughter Nell is going through a very difficult stage. Carrie was only able to buy her home thanks to a small inheritance from her Great Uncle Sol. Nell's father, Jack, is present for his daughter, but Carrie has not spoken to him since even before she knew she was pregnant after she caught him in a compromising position. Carrie needs to come up with an idea for a new book soon, in the hopes that she will be able to make some money.
One day, she receives a postcard from her friend Xanthe who now lives on the Greek island of Santorini. When she was a young woman, she had visited the island and had a brief holiday fling with a gorgeous young man named Krys. Now, Xanthe is inviting her back to the island. Whilst Carrie would love to go, and to take Nell with her, she knows that she can't do that right now.
When visiting her parents, Carrie's mum suggests that she should go through some of Sol's possessions, Carrie finds an old sketchbook filled with pictures of soldiers, and also with a picture of a beautiful young woman and Carrie is intrigued. She also finds a ring, engraved in Greek.
Sol never talked about his activities in WWII, and he certainly never explained why it was that he was never interested in marrying anyone after he came back to civilian life. When Carrie gets some money from an unexpected source, she and Nell head to the island to try and find out more. There she learns about Vassia, the young woman in the picture.
In 1944 the island of Santorini was held by the German army. She is shocked when one day a man turns up at their house asking her father for assistance. He is a member of the Special Boat Service (SBS) who have secretly come to the island to perform a raid on the island. They were a group of soldiers who went from island to island in the Mediterranean performing lightning raids and then escaping to move onto the next target. The man needs help from the locals with food and water to guide them to the best places to attack the Germans.
Whilst it isn't ideal, Vassia is drawn into this activity, and she does so knowing that there are risks involved, but she never expected the reprisals to be so brutal and swift after the attacks. She also does not expect to find that one of the group of men has been left behind - Sol. With her family devastated, she does what she can to help, ever conscious of the growing attraction she has to him. The race is on to get him safely off the island. And she would never have believed that any kind of betrayal would come from any of her friends or family.
As Carrie and an initially reluctant Nell uncover more, it is not only Sol's secrets which are revealed. Vassia's own story is filled with tragedy and betrayals that have continued to have impacts through the generations.
I know that there has been some talk around about whether WWII (and dual timelines) are getting a bit tired as a subject for historical fiction, but the reality is that there does still seem to be a lot of stories that haven't been told before like the SBS in this book! The fact that this book was also set in Greece doesn't hurt. I have read several WWII books set in Greece before but they are not the normal setting!
Given the recent news about the earthquakes in Santorini, it was kind of poignant to be reading about this island at this point in time. The author did a great job of bringing the island to life. I also really appreciated that, whilst there were dramatic moments in the story, the author didn't necessarily wrap things up in the most obvious way.
I hadn't read Rose Alexander before. I really, really enjoyed this story. I was totally engrossed in the book, and I am looking forward to reading more from her!
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted by The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.
Rating 4.5/5
About the Book
Santorini, Greece, 1944. A village nestled in the mountains where children play together beneath the endless blue sky. A cottage once full of the laughter of family and the joy of a new baby. But when the Nazis arrive on the island, a devastating tragedy and an impossible choice will break this family apart…
Present day. Single mother Carrie arrives on the sun-drenched island of Santorini, her adored uncle Sol’s tattered sketchbook clutched to her chest. Heartbroken at his death, Carrie is certain Sol – who refused to speak about how he spent the war in occupied Greece – was hiding secrets all his life: and that the drawings he made of a striking young woman with wavy hair will hold the answers. Tucked away with the sketchbook was a beautiful diamond ring engraved in Greek, and Carrie cannot bear the thought that her uncle never had the chance to give it to his love.
Even as she explores the winding cobbled alleys Sol drew in his book, Carrie is filled with childhood memories. And asking around the close-knit locals, the elderly women Carrie meets speak of a brave young woman named Vassia, and a secret allied mission to rid their beautiful island of German troops. But when pressed, they refuse to say more…
Then she finds a letter written by Vassia herself. She’s shocked to read how Sol was left stranded, fighting for his life, and how Vassia risked everything to save him before a terrible betrayal tore them apart. When Carrie finally unravels the truth, the secrets will shatter the small community, and change the course of her life forever…
A Santorini Secret is an epic tale of love, loss and secrets in World War Two that will sweep you away to the hidden coves and sun-kissed beaches of Santorini. Fans of Victoria Hislop, Fiona Valpy and The Letter won’t be able to put this beautiful book down.
About the Author
Rose Alexander has had more careers than she cares to mention and is currently a secondary school English teacher. She writes in the holidays, weekends and evenings, whenever she has a chance, although with three children, a husband, a lodger and a cat, this isn't always as often as she'd like. She's a keen sewist and is on a mission to make all her own clothes.
https://www.rosealexander.co.uk/
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