Four Walls by Vangelis Hatziyannidis

Four Walls

Vangelis Hatziyannidis

Set on a Greek island, this unusual book describes the attempts of a bee keeper to create the perfect honey using a secret recipe that everyone wants to get hold of. He gives lodgings to a young woman and her daughter, and lives a life incarcerated in 'four walls'. I read it on the train and found it so gripping that I scarcely noticed the journey. Themes of jealousy, incest, imprisonment and murder dominate this fascinating book.

Extract
The moment he closed his lips round the laden spoon, the honey exploded inside his mouth; he felt like he was under attack from some overwhelming force, striking him like a thunderbolt and leaving him dazed inside a cloud of mist. From within this mist, erupted a mischievous little cherub, which started fluttering around the ceiling, from corner to corner, while the opening bars of a triumphant march were heard in the distance. It did not take long for the aroma from the opened jar to pervade the entire room, like gas suddenly escaping from a cylinder. Its presence was so manifest that Rodakis thought that it was actually visible, that it was the mist cloud enshrouding him ....

Parallels
  • Chocolat by Joanne Harris
  • Stolen Time by Vangelis Hatziyannidis
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Violence
Explicit sexual content