Ballentine Books, a division of Random House, this week published The Clover House, the first novel of Henriette Lazaridis Power, an Orchard Health Care member. I have known Henriette for years. I share her excitement. She graciously provided this synopsis of her book:
Synopsis of The Clover House
Boston, 2000: Calliope Notaris Brown receives a shocking phone call. Her beloved uncle Nestor has passed away, and now Callie must fly to Patras, Greece, to claim her inheritance. Callie’s mother, Clio—with whom Callie has always had a difficult relationship—tries to convince her not to make the trip. Unsettled by her mother’s strange behavior, and uneasy about her own recent engagement, Callie decides to escape Boston for the city of her childhood summers. After arriving at the heady peak of Carnival, Callie begins to piece together what her mother has been trying to hide. Among
Nestor’s belongings, she uncovers clues to a long-kept secret that will alter everything she knows about her mother’s past and about her own future.
Greece, 1940: Growing up in Patras in a prosperous family, Clio Notaris and her siblings feel immune to the oncoming effects of World War II, yet the Italian occupation throws their privileged lives into turmoil. Summers in the country once spent idling in the clover fields are marked by air-raid drills; the celebration of Carnival, with its elaborate masquerade parties, is observed at home with costumes made from soldiers’ leftover silk parachutes. And as the war escalates, the events of one fateful evening will upend Clio’s future forever.
More information
You may get more information on her and her novel from Henriette’s website, www.henriettepower.com. Also, Henriette will appear at the Concord Bookshop, 65 Main St., Concord on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. for a discussion and book signing.