by Christy Lefteri (Quercus)
Set during the invasion of Cyprus in July 1974, A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible is the story of three people whose lives are inextricably linked: Richard, an ex-British pilot who is now afraid to fly – and afraid to live; Koki, an outcast in her community, now forced by war to share in the plight of those who have shunned her; and Adem, a Turkish soldier who has things on his mind other than the invasion.
Politics and prejudice have separated them; it takes war to bring them together.
A novel about the ties that bind – communal, national and emotional, A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible is no ordinary love story.
Lefteri gives war a human face, from both sides of the fence.
Her characterisation is sympathetic, if at times somewhat sentimental.
I found her style a little wordy, overly descriptive, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. – Shellyn Hutson