Songbirds (by Christy Lefteri)

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I first came across the Cypriot-English writer Christy Lefteri when our local book group read ‘The Bee-Keeper of Aleppo’ three years ago. It was a disturbing story in some respects, but extremely well-written and we all thought it enlightening. This month the choice is another book by this author, ‘Songbirds’. I was able to borrow it from a friend who had liked it (although acknowledging that it was not a happy story) and finished reading it a day or two ago. 

‘Songbirds’ is a shorter novel, and set in Cyprus. That gave me added interest as I have lived in Cyprus for the past twenty-five years. Although the main location of the book is Nicosia, and I am in a different city, there was much that was familiar in the culture, and some of the places mentioned. 

There are two viewpoint characters in this novel: Yiannis and Petra. Petra is a widowed mother with a daughter called Aliki. Until the start of the novel, she has been employing a young woman from Sri Lanka called Nisha as nanny and maid. 

It’s not uncommon in Cyprus for young women to come from Asian countries, leaving behind their own families, in order to work for a family, or someone elderly. This gives sufficient income to be able to support their families back home. Some employers are good and some are not. Petra was quite depressed after her daughter was born, as her husband had just died after a long illness, and Nisha was employed to bring Aliki up. 

Petra has never been deliberately unkind to Nisha; she’s one of the better employees of domestic workers. But she takes her for granted and has never really chatted with her. She knows that Nisha has a daughter back in Sri Lanka, a couple of years older than Aliki, but she knows little else about her.  Aliki, by contrast, adores Nisha and is quite remote from her mother.

Yiannis lives in the apartment upstairs from Petra and Aliki, renting it from Petra. And, as we quickly learn, he and Nisha have been lovers, although this has to be kept secret. Maids (domestic workers) are not expected to have personal lives. 

But Nisha has disappeared. That’s said in the first, brief section of the book and is the main theme of the whole novel. 

It would be a spoiler to say anything else about the story. This is a powerful, very well-written book which examines many issues in Cyprus: illegal poaching (which is where the title comes from) is a subject I knew very little about. I was vaguely aware of the way domestic workers are often treated as of less significance than locals, or other Europeans, and that some are abused; this book personalises these problems, making them feel more real. I hadn’t realised how the maids are often in serious debt to the agencies that bring them to Cyprus. 

Despite Nisha not appearing as a character, we see clearly the way she is caught in the middle, loving Yiannis, but also Aliki.  The book also explores some of what has gone wrong between Petra and Aliki, and sees a tentative beginning to some healing. 

The book is written in short chapters, alternating Petra and Yiannis, all told in the first person. This enables us to get inside their heads. We see how Petra feels regret at knowing so little about someone who has lived in her home for over a decade. We also see how Yiannis is torn, knowing that some of his activities are illegal - yet unable to earn enough money without them. And, worse, he feels caught in a net of crime, aware that if he tries to quit, he may be in trouble with those he works for. 

There are brief sections involving the decomposition of a dead hare, sections I found extremely unappealing, and which I mostly skimmed. They show the passing of time in an unusual way; and yet the novel takes place over just a few weeks. 

As it was nearing the end, I was reminded of a news item I had read about a few years back. I hoped I was wrong and that there would be a positive ending, but I wasn’t surprised when the mystery of Nisha’s disappearance was solved. As the author states in an epilogue, this news item inspired her novel. 

I’m glad I read this book, which I’m sure will stay with me for some time, although I doubt if I'll read it again. I didn’t feel any strong connection to either of the viewpoint characters, but I liked them both, for all their faults. I thought the mother-child relationships were very well done, and the picture of village life in Cyprus felt realistic. There’s much that’s traumatic in this novel, including the scenes involving poaching; but there’s nothing gratuitous. 

Definitely recommended. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews