North of Ithaka

Eleni Gage, a young journalist living in New York, leaves her Manhattan flat to return to her family's native Greece and rebuild her grandmother's house in the remote but beautiful northern village of Lia. What motivates her and makes her story particularly remarkable is the fact that her grandmother, also called Eleni, was imprisoned in the house during the Greek Civil War before eventually being executed. Part personal quest into her family's history, part exploration of the nature of history itself, this is a moving yet amusing story set in Epiros, one of the least visited regions of Europe. The cast of characters include Eleni's formidable yet miniscule aunts, the thitsas, who fear that she will be eaten by wolves, her Albanian builders and the residents of modern-day Lia who help in the complex process of reconstructing the house where such terrible events took place. As this is the real Greece, populated by real people rather than rustic stereotypes, Eleni's plans do not always work out as intended though ultimately she finds the resolution she desires. NORTH OF ITHAKA will appeal to those who were entranced by CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN and have ever wondered about the real