Eleni N. Gage, North of Ithaka

North of Ithaka

Eleni N. Gage

St. Martin's, May 2006, $13.95

ISBN: 031234029X

In 2002, Manhattan magazine editor Eleni N. Gage decided to rebuild her paternal family's villa in the Greek village of Lia on the Albanian border. Her four aunts, residents of Massachuestess, were upset and angry, as they feared their niece would be murdered by Albanians. In their minds that was the good outcome; the bad outcome would be the return of the curse of their late mom, Eleni's paternal grandmother, who, in 1948, was tortured and executed for enabling her children to escape the Greek civil war (see ELENI by Nicholas Gage). Still the obsessed Eleni believes she must do this to pay homage to her grandmother, and to provide solace to those still impacted over five decades since her murder. With the help of the townsfolk and the hindrance of the bureaucracy, Eleni's odyssey begins.

This is a fascinating memoir that is at its best with the reactions by the author's Greek-American relatives and the Greek villagers to the energetic Americans objective. Readers will feel the impact of her grandmother's death on those still living in the village and in Massachusetts, even though over fifty years have passed. Though warm and well written, NORTH OF ITHAKA never leaves the audience with a sense of importance or wonder, even when making the case of good omens vs. evil memories. Still, this is a fine entry that is best read after obtaining her father's memoir ELENI, that hauntingly describes what happened in 1948.