Call Me Stratos by Chrysoula Georgoula (Vakxikon Publications, Greece)

After his dramatic divorce and at the age of forty-two, Stratos Achtidis returns to his family home to live with his mother and brother. Humiliated and feeling cut off from family and friends, he turns to drink and reminiscences of an over-glorified past. Through the eyes of Stratos, the reader experiences the challenges and changes that have taken place in Greek society over the last quarter of a century; the problems of the ordinary working-class Greek people who have faced existential challenges on a financial and societal level and the consequent changes in their way of life. Georgoula has written a pitch-perfect portrayal of the male psyche, of a certain kind of Greek male, often with brutal authenticity. Call Me Stratos is not just a goodread, it is a vivid portrayal of some of the most important aspects of Greek society. The book was published in English (translation by Marianna Avouri) by Istros Books.

Reading presented by Vakxikon Publications (Greece).