"Reeling with revenge, romance and retribution, this characterful novel sees the politics of looted Ancient Greek treasures become intensely personal."
Steeped in family history, Greek history and the politics of plundering artefacts from ancient history, Victoria Hislop’s The Figurine will be relished by readers who love sweeping family sagas with cultural context and an evocative sense of time and place.
Interweaving a woman’s conflict-ridden journey to reconcile her love for her mother’s Greek heritage with her grandfather’s acts of brutality, along with an exposition of the ethically corrupt practice of plundering artefacts, it’s an immersive read. Adding to the drama, readers will also be engrossed by a bounty of betrayals, shocking discoveries, and a frisson of romance.
The story begins in 1968 when eight-year-old Helena goes to stay with her grandparents in their luxurious Athens apartment. From the off, she’s scared of her brusque soldier grandfather — “She had a growing dislike of him: his uncontrolled temper, his apparent lack of feeling for his wife, the sour smell that hung around him” — though it will be some years before Helena realises the horrific extent of his sour ways.
While reading chemistry at Cambridge, and in the throes of new love with a charismatic actor, Helena visits an Aegean island to help at an archaeological dig. With a passion aroused for ancient Greek artefacts, Helena also becomes angered by the fact that “looters are depriving everyone of knowledge and heritage.” Cue her launching into an almighty undertaking when she inherits her grandfather’s house (replete with secret treasures), and when she’s betrayed by a beau.
As its core, The Figurine tells of a woman’s quest to make amends for her grandfather’s wrongdoings through finding the rightful home for cultural treasures, and for her heart.
| Primary Genre | Family Drama |
| Other Genres: |
In her irresistible new novel, Sunday Times No 1 bestselling author Victoria Hislop shines a light on the questionable acquisition of cultural treasures and the price people - and countries - will pay to cling on to them.
Of all the ancient art that captures the imagination, none is more appealing than the Cycladic figurine. An air of mystery swirls around these statuettes from the Bronze Age and they are highly sought after by collectors - and looters - alike.
When Helena inherits her grandparents' apartment in Athens, she is overwhelmed with memories of the summers she spent there as a child, when Greece was under a brutal military dictatorship. Her remote, cruel grandfather was one of the regime's generals and as she sifts through the dusty rooms, Helena discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. How did her grandfather amass such a trove? What human price was paid for them?
Helena's desire to find answers about her heritage dovetails with a growing curiosity for archaeology, ignited by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean island. Their finds fuel her determination to protect the precious fragments recovered from the baked earth - and to understand the origins of her grandfather's collection.
Helena's attempt to make amends for some of her grandfather's actions sees her wrestle with the meaning of 'home', both in relation to looted objects of antiquity ... and herself.
The Figurine features in the following genres: Family Drama, Modern and Contemporary Fiction, Romance / Relationship Stories, Fiction: narrative themes, Fiction, General Fiction
The Figurine is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Figurine was written by Victoria Hislop and published by Headline Review an imprint of Headline Publishing Group
The Figurine has 514 pages
£8.99
