by Maria Kostaki
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Just released: May 5, 2015
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: Women's Fiction
Paperback: 209 pages
Rating: 4
First sentence(s):
Dad, a year after your funeral I left New York and moved back home to Greece. Mom and Alexi flew off to Brazil a month earlier. Alexi went to indulge in some prime South American code and shoot a documentary about voodoo rituals in the tribes of the Amazon. Mom went for a major facelift.
When her mother, Anna, abandons her to move abroad with her new husband, Sasha is passed around her three grandparents in Cold War-era Moscow, attending first grade with a Lenin star pinned to her breast. Five years later, Anna and her husband reappear and whisk Sasha off to a “better life” in Athens, Greece. But they are not the gallant rescuers they first appear to be, and Sasha soon finds herself caught between a violent stepfather and a psychologically abusive mother. In her struggle to survive in her new world, Sasha turns to a world of invisible friends—even as she continues to long for something real. At turns haunting and uplifting, Pieces is the story of one girl’s survival and self-discovery—and her continual search for love in a world where she has been given none.
My two-bits:
Although this story finds the protagonist traveling back and forth from New York to Greece, the focus is more on the protagonist's inner turmoil rather than the places.
This story gets into the restlessness, grieving and searching mindset of the main character. As she comes to terms with her past relationships with family members and friends, she finally finds her way towards a semblance of happiness.
Although the process of self discovery kind of stories could get tedious, this gave just enough to keep me interested to the end.
About the author:
Treasured subjects will always be art, design, photography, architecture, literature.
* added this to my Books On The Nightstand Bingo challenge (details) - square: Set in another country
* part of my Armchair Summer Travel (details) - check it out to enter Armchair Summer Travel Book Box Giveaway
* review copy courtesy of Summer Reading Challenge 2015. It's not too late! You can join the challenge here. @booksparks #SRC2015
Destination: Island hop to Athens, Greece
