Additional information
by Aline P. Tayar (Author)
In 1977, a doctors' strike brought Malta to the brink of civil war. When Sarita Toledano, a descendant of one of the island's oldest Jewish clans, was killed by a letter bomb, her family scattered throughout the world. Thirty-four years later, her daughter, Claire, and her nieces, Ellie and Vanna, reluctantly return to decide the fate of two ageing aunts. What they find is a place once more in great turmoil; in the wake of the "Arab Spring", thousands of boat people are being washed up on Malta's shores. Inevitably, past and present merge as, all round, the cousins are faced with reminders of the turbulent events that led to their forced departure. As they again confront the central tragedy of their lives, they begin to re-define themselves and their allegiances to family, religion and country.
Author Biography
Born in Malta and raised in Israel and Australia, Aline P'nina Tayar is the author of "How Shall We Sing?: A Mediterranean Journey Through a Jewish Family" (Pan Macmillan/Picador). Her home is in Bath, but her work as a conference interpreter takes her often to Brussels." Island of Dreams" was short-listed for the Outbound Best Novel Prize 2011 and was runner-up for the Harry Bowling Prize 2012
