Set in 1950’s Cyprus this is the story of a young journalist thrust into a world of bullets and bombs during the bloody struggle for Enosis - Union with Greece

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM, September 1, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A new novel, Something To Write Home About, by author Michael Biscoe, chronicles the adventures of an ambitious young English journalist, Harry Ledbetter, who finds himself in the British colony of Cyprus in 1956 reporting on the terrorist campaign of EOKA, the Greek Cypriot movement seeking Enosis (Union with Greece).

The author weaves a rich tapestry of characters each with a story to tell: the hero Harry Ledbetter, desperate to escape the humdrum life of suburban England, Anna the bright young Greek Cypriot girl who yearns for more than the traditional role of wife and mother that is her destiny if she remains in Cyprus, Danny the hard-bitten war correspondent who takes Harry under his wing, and the myriad of journalists and photographers who are reporting on the bloody battle for control of this small but strategically important island.

“A marvellous and vivid novel set against the backdrop of Cyprus in the mid-50s and the grim toll of EOKA terrorism. Michael Biscoe has wonderfully conjured up the feelings and challenges facing British troops and reporters on the island, with impressive knowledge of the politics that made this largely forgotten struggle so fraught and dangerous. The aroma of Cyprus is there on every page. A great achievement for a first novel,” Michael Binyon, THE TIMES.

The story unfolds when the island’s equilibrium is being torn apart by EOKA gunmen led and inspired by Colonel George Grivas, who was a guerrilla fighter for the Greek resistance in WWII. Inspired by the leader of the Greek Cypriot community, Archbishop Makarios, and passionate about the quest for Enosis, he is openly contemptuous of the Turkish minority and refuses to accept they have a place in negotiations with the British government.

The story moves from the streets of Nicosia to the golden beaches of the Kyrenia shore, from the smoke-filled bar at the Ledra Palace Hotel on to the winter mists of the Troodos mountains. It brings to life the dilemma faced by the British government in resolving a political situation which was and still is an ancient impasse with its roots buried deep in the island’s history.

EXCERPT: 'Soon enough a boy in the crowd found the courage to throw a stone, and then others followed; within a few moments the soldiers were fending off a barrage of missiles. I watched, feeling anxious for them and at the same time powerless. The taunts were becoming louder and more brazen by the minute because the boys knew there was no way the soldiers would retaliate... Then I heard the shots. My fear for the soldiers turned to shock and dread as one of them fell…'

The characters draw the reader into a world of contradictions, of an uncertain and often confused community sometimes in violent conflict with a perceived adversary and at other times in tender conversation with itself. The story exposes the forces that are driving the battle for the island's soul, which are always connected to family, community and country.

Michael Biscoe was a junior officer in the Royal Artillery during his National Service and served in Cyprus in 1957-1958.

The book is available for purchase on Amazon.com.

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Joan Harper
JM Harper Consulting
+44 7572 885584
joan@jmharperconsulting.com
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