On a remote island south of Crete,, two women attempt to adjust to a new type of life, so separated from what they knew before. The notions of what 'foreign' means is deeply explored through the stories of both Oksana and Penelope, as well as the women around them on Gavdos. This was refreshing, bright, and deeply carried me away.

Haunting and incredibly atmospheric. This books feels like subtle fever dream and I found every character compelling and interesting. I feel like this story will stay with me for a while and I already want to reread it!

Gavdos is a small remote island south of Crete, unwelcoming to outsiders and suspicious of them, but it seems to be a place of refuge for Oksana and her friends, escaping the fallout from Chernobyl. However to Penelope, an inhabitant of the island, married off by nuns to an unsuitable man, it feels more like a prison. The narratives of these two women are cleverly woven together as they tell us their stories. Many important themes are explored in this short book, in particular xenophobia and, with a nod to Cavafy’s poem, the author examines who is actually considered a “barbarian” and what that means for the individual trying to find their place in a closed society. I quite enjoyed the novel, but found the women’s voices weren’t differentiated enough so that I often had to check who was actually speaking. Neither of them really came alive for me and overall I wasn’t particularly engaged by the book in spite of its overall worthy examination of the themes. However, I was delighted to discover a Macedonian author and look forward to reading more by him.

“The making up of stories is an act of loneliness, a need for dialogue, the person who makes up a story must be very lonely”.

Oksana and Penelope are writing letters to each other after being separated in a ‘will-they-won’t-they’ build up - alas with no end climax.

I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the inevitable build up and …it didn’t happen. The book packs in so much character development and presents a variety of characters with near-complete histories but with a few pages extra. It could have really been something. That said, I was here for the LGBTQI+ and first-hand migration experience representation.

The book is very existential and sadly, I am not.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc.

This book is a nice simple exploration of what it means to be an outsider - whether in a different country, town or your own community. It addresses some very current issues surrounding immigration , alienation, and racism, culminating in a shocking act that reveals how far these problems can reach if they are not addressed. The novel offers some hope to the reader however overall I think this is more a cautionary tale of the crossroads at which Europe currently stands.

This was an odd little piece, and felt like I was missing something major upon finishing. The title alludes to fear of outsiders, which does categorize the two main women (and neighbors) that the author switches POV chapters back and forth between. There’s also some history of other island “barbarians” woven into the storyline, disguised within town gossip.

<spoiler>I think one thing that really got me hung up was the fact that both women would have internal dialogues where they were talking to somebody else - one was another orphan at the convent on Crete, and the other had a father that was a cartographer. Who are these unseen/unknown people? What did I miss? </spoiler>

Easy to read, but I don’t think I’ll remember it much.

I voluntarily obtained a digital version of this book free from Netgalley and Parthian Books in exchange for an honest review.

A strange little tale that I couldn't help but feel I missed something.
I got to the end and wanted more.
Lovely writing,but left me a little unsatisfied.