This book is almost impossible to review. It's strange and haunting tale of the secrets of the universe and the evil that can be found inside humans. To say more would give away too much of the story. I will say that I was utterly confused at the beginning of the book and it was not until about halfway through that I started to understand enough to really enjoy the story.

I was definitely not convinced that I would love this book, but I did nonetheless. I was in my 8th month of pregnancy with my first child and the themes of parent/child relationships and of mothers never feeling like their best was good enough were horrifying and addictive. I'd love to re-read this 10-20 years down the road and see if I feel the same amount of fear and trepidation in reading it again.

I have to start by saying that I'm not sure I really believe the premise of the book, that a woman was hidden among the POWs in a German camp. Despite that, this was an interesting read if nothing more to think about how Could it have been done. This was a fun and interesting read that additional made me more aware of the plight of POWs during WW2.

(spoiler alert) while this book is well written, I think the most remarkable thing is that it tells a different side of the diaspora that I, for one, had never considered. Generally I have heard stories and read books where either the whole family miraculously survives or one lone survivor perseveres. What is interesting in this book is the drive of the mother to survive despite never knowing whether her daughter has lived. The need to hang onto the hope that her daughter survived and they will some day reunite despite all odds.

I started reading this book thinking that it would be a language geek out from beginning to end and honestly looking forward to that. However, just as I was starting to get my fill of the language geekiness, the book took a turn and went into so much Greek culture and fun adventures taken by the author. I was charmed. I loved travelling with her as an outsider who realized that she would never fully understand life in this foreign land but loves it anyways.

I found this book very interesting in its coverage of why cows are so important in Indian culture and how that manifests itself in daily life. The author as an Indian woman who also had lived in the USA had a unique perspective of both understanding the importance of the cow and also understanding why those outside of the culture don't get it.

I have to admit, I was interested in this book from page one. It's a little scifi, a little literature, and a little mystery. However, it's extremely hard to review without giving away some of the plot. I enjoyed getting to know all of the quirky characters but wish that a little bit more was explained in the end. It felt to me that only one mystery was solved and the rest just were left alone. Maybe it means there will be a second book, but it seemed a bit Woman or the Tiger to me.

This book is a bit hard to review because it is so many things at once: a romance, a thriller, a period piece. Although at times it seems almost confusing, the book is beautifully written and draws you into the characters and their lives. I kept wishing there were actual paintings to go along with the descriptions at the beginning of each chapter, though maybe it's better to imagine the artists style rather than seeing it.