Review of The Island by Victoria Hislop

The Island is a book about leprosy, love, genealogy and history but not necessarily in that order!

This month the Book Group decided to read two titles, I can’t remember why but did think at the time that it was quite a lot to ask. Haven’t said that I could’ve chosen not to read one of them. However, I was fortunate enough to have a few days in France earlier in the month when I found the time to read Brick Lane, leaving The Island to be read later.

Interesting footnote about the writer: Victoria Hislop is married to Ian Hislop, well known writer and broadcaster of Private Eye and Have I Got News for You fame. Having read the island, I’d be interested to hear how Mr Hislop found it.

The book starts out in the UK with Alexis who is determined to try and find out something about her background from her mother. Up to that point, her mother, Sofia, has always been tight lipped about her childhood in Crete. Since Alexis was about to visit the island on holiday she though she could investigate her family history. Her mother relented somewhat and gave her a letter of introduction to Fotini who still lived in the village where her mother came from, Plaka.

In the background to all this Alexis is trying to make up her mind about her boyfriend who she had been with for a few years. To be honest this part of the book is superfluous and is really a contrivance to bring you into the real part of the story about Spinalonga.

Alexis arrives in Crete and in due course travels to Plaka to meet Fotini. At that point the book turns back the years to the 1930s as Fotini relates her mother’s story. This is the real part of the book.

Fotini relates the history of Alexis’s family and their intertwined relationship with the island of Spinalonga. Spinalonga at that time was known as leper colony for the whole of Crete and part of Greece. At this time leprosy was still endemic in Europe and an effective cure had not been found.

The general info and history of leprosy are very interesting in the book and certainly make you want to visit Crete and the island of Spinalonga. I suppose most people don’t release that leprosy still affected the greater part of Europe until after WWII. I certainly didn’t.

At the start of the story the colony is well established and is maintained by Georgiou who is married to Eleni the local school teacher. This couple are Alexis’ great grandparents. Eleni has 2 daughters, Anna and Maria. Soon after the start of the story, Eleni is diagnosed with leprosy and is exiled to Spinalonga. It is here that the family’s association with leprosy starts.

The book details Eleni’s life on the island and although it is hard at first, she does come to terms with the situation and the other islanders, there are about 200, help life become tolerable and at times enjoyable. This part of the book is quite informative and interesting.

At this point, Eleni’s condition and she dies quite quickly for a leprosy sufferer. At this point her children develop, grow up and form the ‘soapy’ part of the book with their lives and loves of two different contrasting men. Andreas, then Manoli for Anna and then Dr Kyrsitis for Marian. At this point the book does become a little sentimental and predictable, although the ending isn’t that obvious. We do find out why Alexis’s mother, Sofia has been so secretive about her family. However, she does journey out to Crete at the end and make it up with her daughter.

Overall, The Island was quite enjoyable but ultimately a bit too melodramatic for me. Don’t think I’ll be looking out any future titles of Mrs HIslop’s.