by Eleni Kyriacou
SYNOPSIS
THEY HAVE TOLD SO MANY LIES ABOUT ME.
London, 1954. Zina Pavlou, a Cypriot grandmother, waits quietly in the custody of the Metropolitan police. She can't speak their language, but she understands what their wary looks mean: she has been accused of the brutal murder of her daughter-in-law.
Eva Georgiou, Greek interpreter for the Met, knows how it feels to be voiceless as an immigrant woman. While she works as Zina's translator, her obsession with the case deepens, and so too does her bond with the accused murderer.
Zina can't speak for herself. She can't clear her own name. All she can do is wait for the world to decide...
IS SHE A VICTIM? OR IS SHE A KILLER?
A compelling historical crime novel set in the Greek diaspora of 1950s London - that's inspired by a true story - The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou is perfect for fans of Erin Kelly, Sara Collins, and Jessie Burton.
REVIEW
Zina Pavlou has been accused of murdering her daughter-in-law but having travelled to London from Cyprus, she barely speaks a word of English. To try and get to the bottom of what happened, the police bring in Ava to translate for Zina, a task which benefits the police but also means that Zina can be properly informed about her case and what will happen during her trial. Unlike most people, Ava is determined that Zina should be considered innocent until proven guilty and wants to help her to make sure she is treated fairly. Having been warned repeatedly to not get emotionally involved, Ava oversteps the mark and begins to keep conversations secret from the guards, altering letters and asking too many questions. The truth is that nobody except Zina knows what happened that night. Is she simply an easy target for the police or has she fooled Ava completely? Travelling backwards and forwards in time, Zina's story is gradually pieced together, but what consequences will this have for Zina, Ava and everyone else involved in the investigation...
I had seen a lot of coverage about this book, especially after the 'Between The Covers'' announcement, so I had really high expectations before starting. The story is very different to anything else I'd heard of - a historical crime fiction set in the 1950s, inspired by a true story and the main character's story told through a translator. On paper it sounded amazing, but being written in this unusual format, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the style. I didn't have to worry, after reading the first few chapters I was completely absorbed into the unlikely relationship which formed between Zina and Ava. It was fascinating and written so beautifully - I really felt like I was right there listening to the stories being translated back and forth.
The murder investigation was an interesting case in its own right, but when you add in the way that the events and stories being recounted by Zina were being passed onto the police via Ava's interpretation of them, it changed the book for me from being interesting to completely amazing. Despite the fact that many people felt that Zina was 100% guilty, Ava had so much responsibility for the way Zina's trial developed based on what she did or didn't say. If you then think about how much she was swayed by her own personal opinion and relationship with Zina, it throws up so many questions about the fairness of trials, bias and justice.
The characters are flawed but incredibly captivating and this leads to a really powerful story. A stand out in this book for me was the complicated family dynamic between Zina, her son Michalis and daughter-in-law Hedy. It was so raw, so real and the tension was almost unbearable. I really can't fault this book in any way and it will definitely be making an appearance in my Top 10 for 2023!
Thanks to Head of Zeus - @headofzeus and Eleni Kyriacou for the opportunity to read and review.
Publisher: Aries Fiction / Head of Zeus Genre: Crime / Historical Crime Fiction
ISBN: 978-1837930340
Pages: 384pp
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