The publisher’s summary:
Can one house hold a lifetime of secrets?
Corfu, 1930
The moment Thirza Caruthers sets foot on Corfu, memories flood back: the scent of jasmine, the green shutters of her family’s home — and her brother Billy’s tragic disappearance years before.
Returning to the Greek house, high above clear blue waters, Thirza tries to escape by immersing herself in painting — and a passionate affair.
But as webs of love, envy, and betrayal tighten around the family, buried secrets surface. Is it finally time to uncover the truth about Billy’s vanishing?
My reading review:
It is always a pleasure to read novels by Dinah Jefferies, and this one certainly was.
The story is set in Corfu in the 20s and 30s. During the Corfu incident of 1923, when the Italian forces bombed and occupied Corfu following a dispute between Italy and Greece, Dulcie’s young son Billy disappears. She blames her cousin Columbine and her daughter Thirza for it and Billy is never found. He is presumed dead. This destroys Dulcie’s life and her marriage, and she leaves Corfu, abandoning her beautiful Merchant’s house. Thirza comes back to the house years later and she decides to build a new life there, with new hopes, projects and opportunities for the family to heal.
I will not say more of the story, as I really hate spoilers in book reviews. I thought the plot was good and slightly surprising at times, and I enjoyed all the beauty of Corfu that Dinah Jefferies has so beautifully shared, with landscapes, scents and flavours, light and water. Dulcie and Thirza are both very strong characters and the reader is taken into their emotions and thoughts. The theme of loss and grief for a child is particularly well developed, with all its facets of endless deep pain, absence, flashes of memories coming back all the time, precious objects, the scent of clothes, etc. Written from experience, no doubt. But there is also light and hope in the book and Thirza brings that back to the family. There is new joy, forgiveness and a lot of energy for the future.
And there will be a future book as well to follow from this one. I am very much looking forward to it.
This book was a very enjoyable read by Dinah Jefferies, once more.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.
Valerie is reading 
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