Lead Review (The Greek House)

• Book: The Greek House
• Location: Corfu
• Author: Dinah Jefferies

Review Author: tripfiction

The Greek House is the latest in a wonderful selection of novels by Dinah Jefferies. Each of her books features strong female characters, often in historical settings. The Greek House is no exception, with two timelines and two principal female characters – mother and daughter. The island of Corfu is the setting and the author uses a deluge of sensory adjectives to immerse the reader in the landscape. The Greek House mentioned in the title is Merchant’s House, the Corfu home of a rather dysfunctional family, the Caruthers.

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The action begins with an Italian assault on Corfu town in 1923, in retribution for an event in Albania where Italians were killed. The Italians blame the Greeks for the atrocity. Dulcie Caruthers and her family are caught up in the bombardment of Corfu and in the confusion her young son, Billy, goes missing. Captain Piers Caruthers holds an official post in Corfu and he is obliged to corral efforts to deal with the Italian takeover. Dulcie barely holds everything together as she takes on responsibility for the search for her beloved son. She can’t help but blame her sister, and to a lesser extent her daughter, Thirza, for losing Billy.

Seven years later, the action shifts to focus on the daughter, Thirza. By this time it is assumed that Billy died, though his body was never found. Everyone has been damaged by the events of 1923. Dulcie has left Corfu and distanced herself from her family. Thirza has little control over any aspect of her life but she tries to make the best of things. She determines that she will throw herself into restoring Merchants and making a business of it. Desperate not to be alone, she is charmed by her neighbour, a slightly older but nevertheless eligible Italian who is renting the house next door.

I expected to enjoy this book and I wasn’t disappointed. If you haven’t yet read any of Dinah Jefferies’ books, I highly recommend them – they are all standalone stories. She specialises in immersing her readers in a particular place and time, with marvellous characters who are likely to induce strong reactions. I love a book that informs, and The Greek House certainly taught me about a historical incident that I knew little about. As far as I can tell, the author has researched carefully and her characters and the settings are very much of their time.

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