Based on the diary of a refugee from Crete, this story recounts the treatment of Muslim Turks when the island went under Greek control in the 1890s to 1923, when a treaty forced several people to leave their homeland and go to Turkey.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, no? What was interesting to me reading this book was realizing that I knew nothing about this particular part of history, it's a similar story to what's played out around the world when people can't live together in harmony. Our narrator, Hassan, now in Turkey, reflects on his life beginning when he was a boy and his father grew olive trees. Despite several hardships, a forced move due to unrest in their village, and deaths in the family, Hassan keeps a fairly positive outlook on life and maintains friendships with both Turks and Greeks. The dialog is stilted, though that may be due in part to difficulties in translation. I often was taken aback by the abrupt ways something would be introduced into the narrative, such as a death described very suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, and Hassan's love life seemed oddly lacking in any motivation other than lust. Still, I'm glad I read it, and would be interested in learning more about the history behind the events laid out in the story. ( )