Alexis Stamatis

Varje sommar upprepar vi nordbor flyttfåglarnas mönster. Vi lämnar allt och flyger iväg till våra gamla häckningsplatser: stränderna i den grekiska övärlden. Men vad finns där innanför stränderna? Grekerna är komna ur den röda jorden, de har växt upp i ett klimat radikalt annorlunda vårt eget, deras land är omgivet av hav, Balkan och Orienten, deras nutidshistoria är blodig, deras historia präglad av krig och närmare halvtusenårig ockupation.

Yannis Loukas is editing his father's autobiography. Going through the family archives, he discovers the manuscript of an aspiring novelist named Loukas Matthaiou. While reading it, Yannis feels as if someone has put to paper his innermost thoughts. But who was the writer of this amazing story and what happened to him? Following in the tracks of this elusive stranger, Yannis' life takes an unforseen turn. He finds that everyone who met Matthaiou was profoundly affected by his charismatic personality. Driven by his quest to find Matthaiou, Yannis must first unravel the codes in his writing.

Clutching his vodka and his memories, he seeks refuge on an island in the Cyclades. There by chance he meets a young woman who reactivates love's vocabulary. His survival instinct faintly reappears through the distorting mirror of alcohol. Yet the craving is an irresistible, clever adversary that shows no mercy. He is drawn by his love to places that affect his emotional world ever more forcefully. Moving from Paris and Munich to London and a mountain village in central Greece, he meets a young woman and it becomes clear that the greatest magic is to be found in reality, not the bottle.