'The Thread' a novel set in Salonika by Victoria Hislop

[Gardenerbill]

There isn’t a great deal here of interest to the Macedonia campaign researcher, however if you are interested in what happens in Thessaloniki after the Great War then it is an informative and enjoyable read. The book starts with an elderly couple who live in modern day Thessaloniki telling their story to their grandson. The story begins in 1917 just before the time of the great fire and moves quickly on to the defeat of Germany. The book then takes in the Greek invasion of Turkey, which ultimately ended in failure and the exchange of Muslims and Greeks that resulted in a million Greek refugees needing to be found a home, many living in temporary accommodation outside Thessaloniki. The main characters have to cope with the political unrest of the 1920’s and 30’s, the rise of communism and Nationalism, the German occupation during world war two and the deportation of the Jews. Finally the story moves on to the tragic civil war that started once the Germans had left and pitted Greek against Greek, the period of dictatorship, the earthquake and on to modern day Thessaloniki . The final word must go to Victoria Hislop herself ‘Thessaloniki is more than a backdrop to The Thread , for me it is one of the most important characters in the novel, one that plays a main role in the story, suffering and surviving the events and catastrophes thrown at it.’