GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION

About a quarter to midnight on New Year’s Eve, I finished reading this tapestry of myth, mystery, fantasy and historical events by Kate Forsyth. Other books of Forsyth’s, such as Bitter Greens, are also based on fairytales Her superpowers include meticulous research (adds authenticity), attention to detail and what editors call ‘head-hopping’. I was a tad confused about who the protagonist is and whose point-of-view we were in for the first 25 % of the book, but after that it didn’t matter because the action dragged me in.

The story is set on the Greek island of Crete, which was the legendary hang-out of the maze-dwelling Minotaur (you know—bull-headed mutant sent as punishment to the King of Crete for trying to deceive the god, Poseidon) who terrorised and ate Cretans and lived in a labyrinth. Anyway, legend tells that a chick, in some versions a princess, called Ariadne gives the hero, Theseus, a ball of red yarn to unwind as he enters the Labyrinth to kill the Minotaur. Theseus uses the thread to find his way out of the Labyrinth and back to Ariadne. Romance, smut etcetera ensues. You know the drill.

Leap forward a couple of millennia to World War ll when the Germans invade the rugged and rustic Crete and the Allies have to get out in a hurry. A number of Allied soldiers, including a couple of best-mate Aussies called Jack and Teddy, are stranded there and are dependent on the local underground. Of course, there’s a girl involved. Alenka’s a bit of a stunner and they both have intentions on her despite the daily battle for survival. I think Alenka is kind of their metaphorical crimson thread. To complicate matters, her brother becomes a German informer with ulterior motives and is out to dob her in along with her resourceful bunch of friends.

The true hero of the Minotaur story is Ariadne, not Theseus, and it is her we must look to for the wisdom in the myth. She is the one who chooses Theseus when he arrives in Crete, using him as a tool to escape the island. She is clever enough to come up with a way for Theseus to find his way out of the labyrinth. We see this pattern in other places in Greek myth, where it is only through the assistance of a woman that the hero can win the prize and escape to freedom (Jason and Medea comes to mind).

Teddy’s your typical stud-muffin, swaggering, FIGJAM type of bloke and Jack’s a talented musician, poet, scholar and stutterer with low self-esteem.

In the same way as Ariadne, Alenka must choose who to trust, who to love and how to kill to survive. I normally don’t like war books, but this one has layers guaranteed to delight any analytical reader. Do yourself a favour!