Emma's Review: The Summer of Secrets by Patricia Wilson

Reviewed by Emma Crowley

On the Greek island of Castellorizo young Sofía must put her big dreams on hold to support her older sister Maria with her large family. But World War II is looming and while the idyllic island may seem far from harm at first, there are unspeakable dangers on the horizon - perils that will change the sisters' lives forever . . .

Devastated by her divorce and the death of her dear mum, Olivia seeks solace on Castellorizo. Her Granny Sofía fled the beautiful Greek island during the war, but Olivia knows little else about her family's history. The only link to the Island she has left is her elderly great-uncle George. As his memory begins to fail, Olivia feels her one chance at uncovering the truth about her grandmother start to slip away.

As a mother's sacrifice echoes throughout the generations, will Olivia discover some things are best left in the past? 

Book Links: Kindle or Paperback

Many thanks to Bonnier Zaffre via NetGalley for my copy of The Summer of Secrets to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.

The Summer of Secrets is the sixth book by Patricia Wilson and it’s gorgeous cover epitomises what this book is about. Set on the tiny Greek island of Castellorizo with a very small population, the story weaves back and forth between the war years as the island suffered and the present day. It has a blend for the most part of a good, solid storyline with intriguing characters and a secret at its centre and fantastic descriptions of the island, it’s people and it’s traditions. With such eloquent, visceral descriptive writing the reader feels transported to the island where the intrinsic beauty of the landscape and the noble spirit of the residents shine through. 

Baba, the father of the story, and his brother Kurillos are awaiting the birth of Baba’s second child which he desperately hopes will be a boy. As Mamarita is in labour a catastrophe occurs when a devastating earthquake strikes the tiny island located several miles off the coast of Turkey. Buildings are demolished, boats sink, cracks and chasms appear, and lives are lost but amidst this carnage a new being enters the world. Sofia is born, not the son Baba wanted but none the less Sofia will go on to be an integral element to what will go on to be a large family and she is a character who plays a very important role throughout the story.

After the dramatic opening to the book, we move forth to the present day to Brighton, England where Olivia has just lost her mother. She hopes to scatter her ashes on the island and we soon discover that Sofia was her grandmother. Instantly, the readers interest is piqued. What caused Sofia to leave the island? Why was it such a taboo subject never to be spoken about? Olivia knows no details of her families past but she desperately wants to know the reasons for the silence within her family that echoes with so many unanswered questions. Her mother always said no good came in digging up the past but maybe now the time has come for some burrowing back through the years to uncover the family secret that tore a loving and united family apart. The secret and a certain event are hinted at throughout the book. It seems as if the majority of the characters that feature in the present day know what occurred but it’s Olivia who is the one that is clueless and it won’t be easy to reach the truth. It’s a slow and leisurely path to the significant event that sent so many other wheels in motion and when we do reach it in the later stages of the book it was brilliantly written. 

Of course, I won’t say what it was, but it was so vividly written. I could picture it image by image playing out in my mind as if I was watching things unfold on the big screen and to learn at the end that it was based on real events was even more horrifying to read knowing that it was real. This happening sets in motion another chain of events for the principal character Sofia and I will say this is where I found the book to descend into something implasuable. Being 100% honest, I found it to be so far fetched that it couldn’t possibly be true. OK, yes I can see the act did happen but as to why it occurred I found myself having to suspend my disbelief and view it as a something that needed to occur in order to explain a major plotline that was hinted at in titbits throughout the book. I understood how it tied in with the business the family operated but yet it just seemed to over the top. But pushing this to one side and forgetting about it underneath it all there is a good story here that details the history of the island whilst focusing on one family over a period of many years. The heritage of the island, the traditions and the residents are given a strong voice and a light is definitely shone on a different side to the war you may not have read about before as so many books in this genre are set in Germany or France etc.

Sofia’s younger brother George, always known as the baby of the family and the one who was protected, is still alive in the present day. He holds the key to all the secrets but he doesn’t give it willingly to Olivia. I liked how this occurred because George knew deep down that instead Olivia needed to go on a journey back to the island to really understand what her family was all about and how the island and the war shaped and moulded them. When Olivia arrives to the island, unaccompanied by George as he has just undergone an operation, she wishes he was there by her side to help her make sense of everything. She meets electrician Greg who will try and help her get the family’s house and distillery on the hilltop accessible again. After all, now that her mother is gone it’s Olivia who is the one who has come into an inheritance but Australian Rob has other plans in store. As so many of the islanders emigrated to Australia there is now a long line of descendants who have their own claim to the house. 

Olivia is a kind and willing person and wants to do things by the book but to me Rob just came across as quite sneaky with ulterior motives. As Olivia tries to navigate her way through filling in the blanks in her family history she slowly uncovers bits and pieces. In the present day occurrences of the past are mentioned and then we go back many years and things are explained in significantly more detail. But really, it’s her Uncle George she needs by her side as he was there, he knows what happened. When she tries to contact him back in England and can’t get any answer, her senses are alerted. What has happened to George? Is he ok?

After the earthquake of 1926 we are taken all the way through to the war years and for several years after its endpoint. Sofia, for the most part, narrates the story and she is even more of a matriarch than her mother as she tends to the distillery where the family distils precious oils that can bring a special kind of euphoria and which have been sold to Parisian fashion houses. We learn of the family’s renown for this most special of traditions and how oldest daughter Maria married Mustafa the Turk who was a sailor and trader and in turn they went on to have 16 children and this is where I feel the term matriarch is most appropriate for Sofia because she cared so deeply for and tended to those children as if they were her own. She was like the glue that held the family together and when the worst befalls the island and they are bombed during the war she remains resilient and strong and her love for English soldier Jamie fortifies her through the difficult journey ahead of her. Even more so when the island was evacuated. I found all this to be so fascinating to read about because what unfolds did happen to the islanders. Their lives were disrupted. They faced starvation and possible death and to be ripped from your home when the tiny island is all you have ever known must have been devastating and full of pain, loss, confusion and anxiety.

At times, when reading as it starts in 1926, I was wondering when would we get to the war years and the event which is endlessly mentioned but no specific details given. The family history and all their traditions and the extended members etc was interesting to read but at times I felt the book went off on tangents and I questioned their necessity in the overall plot. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed reading this book as a whole but perhaps if it was slightly shorter with some scenes cut out which would have meant all that would have been included was all strictly relevant and moving the plot forward at all times. Towards the end you can see why the author included what I deem extra or unnecessary but it just felt too long winded in order to reach the climax. Yes, it helped build a picture and helped the reader to understand the overall context behind the big mystery but for me it just meant things dragged in parts. So yes, overall, I did enjoy The Summer of Secrets and it is worthy of a read especially if you happen to be abroad in sunny climes to read considering the beautiful imagery throughout but I still think I prefer some of the author’s earlier books.