Nick Urfe, a young British schoolteacher, travels to the Greek island of Phraxos for a vacation. There he manages to wander into a series of misadventures and confusions that bring the stability of his world into doubt. A careless flirtation with another tourist leads to a messy affair, and a chance introduction brings him under the influence of an enigmatic, elderly recluse who stands at the center of an oddly sinister cult.
Helpful Score: 1
This book is a challenging, magical read. Perfect for a week-long island vacation; a "take your mind off the real world" kind of book.
Set on a fictional Greek isle, this weird tale abounds with psychological twists and turns as a teacher gets involved with a magician (?) and his horde of unstable minions. Is anyone whom they pretend to beright to the end? This is an interesting novel, although it is rather lengthy. It may also be a sign of that which is to come from this author. A major criticism is his ambiguous ending; if it can even be considered to be an ending, as both characters appear to have doubts. Well, what else can I say; read it!
