I loved this book. Mainly set in occupied Cyprus in the late 1950’s, its subject is a young couple: Hal, a bright young officer who hasn’t been taught to have any kind of real emotional life, and Clara, his young and dutiful wife.

The book divides itself between looking at Hal, appalled and yet brutalised by the conflict he is a part of, and Clara, bored, frightened and powerless. As Hal's military involvement increases, the couple become increasingly unable to communicate. Cyprus itself is beautifully evoked, but it casts no spell over the protagonists.

I was unconvinced by the faltering reconciliation at the end of the book, but as an examination of Englishness, and the effects of war on everyone involved, as well as a portrait of a country I’ve never visited, it was a gripping and involving read. ( )

Struggling to write this review because both main characters, soldier husband and stay-at-home mom, aren’t endearing but the story felt real. This book told their story in the backdrop of the Cyprus uprising for independence (I know it’s a bit more complicated than that) from the UK, but it was violent and scary. Wife was immature, at first; husband, likeable until he’s not. This one will run you through the wringer. Of note, UK’s occupation followed the end of the Ottoman Empire’s own occupation of Cyprus—the Ottomans being quite the recurring them for me this year! ( )

This historical novel unfolds in Cyprus in 1956, where British major Hal Treherne is stationed to quell the uprising for "enosis" (union with Greece). His wife Clara joins him with their toddling daughters. Tension builds between the Cypriot resistance and the British force, as well as between husband and wife--he, increasingly disturbed by his work and distant; she, increasingly frustrated by his distance and lonely.

Ms. Jones writes dialogue with a keen sense of Hemingway's "iceburg;" characters rarely say everything they mean. Hal often can't verbalize his feelings at all, especially as memories of land mines and prisoner interrogation pull him ever deeper into himself. Clara maintains her role as brave army wife and says she is fine, though when Hal isn't home, she checks under the couches for bombs. Each unravels bit by bit, invisibly, clinging to a persona for emotional safety. The author's skillful character rendering makes the reader ache for Hal and Clara, then despise them for hurting each other, then ache again.

The writing itself is rather shaky due to passive voice, "be" verbs, and other weak verbs. I might have been unable to enjoy a lesser story weakened by these style flaws, but the characterizations here are strong enough to transcend the prose. This is a probing, wrenching exploration of the masks people wear and the fears they hide; of trauma's affect on relationships; of duty and its limits; and of one marriage's endurance despite multiple wounds. ( )

Irritating book ( )

I heartily disliked her first book but enjoyed this one. Very understated novel about a military marriage with much relevance and resonance to current sitation in Iraq. ( )