The Figurine (Victoria Hislop)

Helen lives in Scotland. Her mother is Greek and her father Scottish. Although her mother is estranged from her parents, she sends Helen to visit her grandparents for the first time in 1968.

Helen discovers Greece mostly through enjoyable days, but she soon realises that there is an undercurrent of something she is uncomfortable with. She has her first encounter with the beautiful Cycladic statuettes and is mesmerised by their stunning beauty and simplicity. Growing up, Helen discovers the role her grandfather played in the regime of the junta at the time, and feels deeply challenged by this. But things get even more complicated when she inherits the appartement of her grandparents. She finds herself in the middle of a complex web of illegal operations, linked to the political regime her grandfather belonged to, but continuing into the present and widening to new actors and on a larger scale. She decides to do something about it.

Some would say the novel has a slow rhythm. I personally felt that it was good to take the time to go through the different moments in Helen’s life and how they build up into the project she takes on. The story is also very evocative and I enjoyed being taken on a journey through Greece, the sceneries, the way of life, the social relations among people, and the many references to history.

The heart of the book is about the challenging topic of who archeological and cultural treasures belong to. Where should they be kept and should they be traded. Victoria Hislop makes reference to Elgin and the columns he brought back to the UK and sold to the British Museum, to the popularity of the Cycladic statuettes resulting from the inspiration they brought to modern art, and creates a story that brings various aspects of Illegal smuggling and cultural desecration together. The well researched book also brings hope when it evokes the tenacity of people who fight these criminal operations, and the help science can bring to this work.

Beyond being a pleasant and very well written book, it is also one that brings a lot of food for thought.

I found the video presentation by Victoria Hislop very interesting at https://youtu.be/-BZOoAliTxo?si=ANAXZImdsKJU-7lO