The Sunrise

The Sunrise is the most glamorous hotel in Famagusta, the most glamorous city in Cyprus. In his quest to ensure every element of the hotel is the best, owner Savvas Papacosta hires both Turkish and Greek Cypriots, providing guests with the finest of everything. All of that changes in the summer of 1974 when war breaks out between the two sides following a coup d’état. Papacosta and his glamorous wife Aphroditi abandon The Sunrise and Famagusta along with virutally every other resident.

The Turkish Cypriot Özkans (mother Emine worked in the beauty salon and son Huseyin was, essentially, a beach boy for the hotel) and the Greek Cypriot Georgious (oldest son Markos was Savvas Papacosta's righthand man, even filling in for his boss at important functions) find themselves dependent on one another for survival when their beloved city of Famagusta is abandoned. Out of options, they move into the hotel each had known as an employee, waiting out the war, options dwindling and secrets emerging.

Victoria Hislop's novel, by the same name as the hotel, unfolds slowly at first, but the story builds as the characters develop. The action of the story is primarily in the 70s, but Hislop uses the last couple of chapters as an extended epilogue, following up on the lives of her protagonists. The inclusion of these chapters adds a richness to the story it would otherwise be missing and feels especially satisfying.

Four stars.