This story takes you to the Greek Island of Hydra in 1960 where eighteen-year-old Erica escapes with her brother following the death of her mother. On the island is her mother’s friend Charmian Clift, who is a writer. It’s there that Erica hopes for comfort and details of her mother’s secret life.

What she gets is entirely different as Erica becomes embroiled in a transient expat community of writers, musicians and artists. She finds Charmian living a bohemian life bringing up three children, taking a backseat from her own writing by supporting her writer, husband George Johnston. There are many hardships as George grapples with deteriorating health, alcohol and writers block. The expat group gravitate around this family with Charmian being central as the mother figure, stretched as she is with her own personal problems.

Largely this is a fictionalised story of real people. We are given a peak into the lives of Charmian and her family as well others such as friend Marianne Ihlen, yes the one in Leonard Cohen’s life who happens to be on the island at the time.  Yet there is a gallery of characters all flitting in and out the tale. The author tries to immerse the reader into the setting but never allowing us to ever really get a true grasp of the characters as we never have the opportunity to get to really know them. Erica herself is merely an observer and her lack of maturity shows which makes her less endearing.

It’s almost like a travelogue of stilted scenes swinging from one event to another, name dropping real people in a fictional setting.

Through Erica there are glimpses of themes such as creative theft, sexist attitudes of the day and the contrast between the village inhabitants and the bohemians romanticised privileged lifestyle.

Erica is always on the periphery and we don’t get a full sense of her own feelings or thoughts. While her observations are poignant there is very little character development even at the end where still seems just as lost.

The writing is evocative of place and I felt like I was there which is gratifying to read during a chilly Melbourne winter.

For a fictionalized account of real people and events it made me search google for more information. It could have been a great story if there had been more time given to Charmian and her family or even the fictional character of Erica. But somehow the opportunity was missed. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the read.