July books

My favourite reads from July are as follows:

Victoria Hislop - One August Night

This is the sequel to the author's debut novel, The Island. The story is based on the island of Spinalonga, off Crete, which had become a place of exile for Greeks diagnosed with leprosy. The previous novel explored the lives and loves of those living in the nearby Cretan town of Plaka, and how this feared disease affected one family in particular. Maria was exiled to Spinalonga when she developed the disease. The sequel, One August Night, begins in 1957, after the discovery of a cure, when the island is vacated and the healed patients can now return to their former homes. There is a big party to celebrate the return of the colonists to their families. Maria's beautiful sister, Anna, unaffected by the disease, has led a charmed life since her sister's exile. But on that August night, a tragic and violent event changes everything. The life to which Maria returns is not the one she had imagined. Instead she takes on new responsibilities and must open her heart to forgiveness. And Manolis, the fiance she left behind, has to find a new path and find a way to heal. The ripples from the events of that night spread wide, and all those who experience it have to come to terms with an altered future. The author's concise writing style creates an intense novel as the story carries us forward through secrets and revelations. 

Ola Awonubi - A Nurse's Tale

Nigerian public relations officer Yemi takes on a fascinating historical project, travelling back from her home in Lagos to England where she lived as a child. She's been given the remit to work on a presentation about One Hundred Women of Nigeria and their influence on their country and the world. At the top of her list is her great aunt, Adenrele, who was a princess of the Egba people in Nigeria. She had travelled to England in the 1930s to train as a nurse and midwife, to bring the knowledge back to her people as a contribution to their bid for independence. As Yemi embarks on her project armed with her great-aunt's diaries, she discovers Ade's staunch, courageous character. Her forbear worked through the darkness of the Blitz of World War II far from her home, experiencing distrust and discrimination for the sake of her country. The project also brings Yemi into the company of doctor Michael Benjamin, whose Caribbean great grandfather had flown planes for the RAF during World War II. They begin to develop romantic feelings, but Yemi is torn, as her desire is to return home to Lagos. A fascinating novel that reveals much about the experiences of black people in their interaction with Britain, and is also a window to modern day life in Nigeria.

Dreda Say Mitchell and Ryan Carter - Girl, Missing

Gem lives with the tragedy of her eight-year-old daughter's abduction, fifteen years earlier. She's turned around her life, dragged herself from the depths of drink and destitution, and now runs a successful chain of bike repair shops. Sarah-Jane and her friend Abby were abducted from near their school. Abby came home - but Sarah-Jane was never found. Now a macabre discovery at the school, and it brings Gem back into her old neighbourhood and stirs up the pain that she has been trying to overcome. Back in the company of former friends and neighbours, as well as old enemies, there are shocking truths that come to light. People are not whom they seem, friends have dark secrets. Gem has a hard road to tread as the case is re-opened and she strives to discover what really happened to Sarah-Jane. Often dark, this novel is full of unexpected twists and turns, but somehow compels the reader to keep going until the final twist.