The Sunrise

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Thankfully, he didn’t have anything drastic to say about her latest novel, The Sunrise, set in the sunshine resort of Famagusta in Cyprus in 1972, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots live in harmony. It centres on an ambitious couple who open the most glitzy hotel there – The Sunrise – only for prosperity and happiness to be scuppered by the conflict between Turkey and Greece, with devastating effects on both Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities. Part of the Cypriot city of Famagusta was fenced off by the Turkish army after being captured, in the invasion of 1974. And it still remains in that state today. An amazingly intricate and ambitious first novel - ten years in the making - that puts an engrossing new spin on the traditional haunted-house tale.

Famagusta a seaside resort city thriving with tourists, with expensive shops, luxury hotels, people thirsty for money, thirsty for more. Heartbreaking… A fascinating insight into a part of Mediterranean history that isn’t often explored ( Essentials)But a lot of people suffered in Cyprus and it wasn’t the fault of women. If women could take charge and rule the world just for a month, it would be interesting to see. Just to see what happens. In the troubled areas of the world, you don’t usually find women in charge. Mrs Thatcher led us into war in the Falklands, but she is the exception. In Cyprus in the 70s, the military was not led by women.” The story of conflict and its consequences of course has great relevance today, with the current troubles in Gaza, Iraq and Ukraine.

It is here, in Famagusta, that Victoria sets her book, during the build-up to the terrible events, and then the aftermath. She describes the opulence of the hotel that is central to the book, The Sunrise, with its gleaming marble floors and caryatids and luxury suites, built and run by Aphroditi and Savvas Papacosta, the proprietors with an eye for detail and money making ventures in their heyday. Two families, the Özkans and the Geogious have family members employed at the hotel, representing, like a vignette, the bigger divide between nationalities – the women are friends but the menfolk are wary. Life however, is generally good for most people, but the tide is about to turn… I took this photo from the office of the Turkish mayor of Famagusta. In the picture, we see some of the older buildings of the city, including one of the original hotels of the city, The Savoy. It’s clear here how nature has taken over, with weeds growing up into the middle of the streets and a general state of dilapidation. And the picture also gives an idea of the scale of the city. Victoria Hislop's fascinating new novel, The Sunrise, is set in 1972 in the tourist city of Famagusta on the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean. Aphroditi and Savvas Papacostas are preparing for the opening of their new hotel, The Sunrise, the most extravagant hotel on the island. Of course the writing hasn't the depth I expect from a novelist who wrote many books, but the story was interesting, heartrending, kept me going so it wasn't entirely bad and it didn't ruin my experience. In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple are about to open the island's most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the Özkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city's façade of glamour and success, tension is building.

The plastic and barbed wire that has been wrapped around this city is more clearly visible here. I walked right next to it to take these pictures of some derelict hotels. It’s not hard to imagine what an idyllic place this must have been to stay – hotel residents could step from the foyer directly onto the sand. And with soft sand such as this, it must have seemed like paradise. The beach faces due east so they would have woken to the most spectacular sunrise each day visible from those windows. This was what inspired me to call my imaginary hotel (which also gives the novel its name) ‘The Sunrise’. Philby, Charlotte (3 January 2009). "My Secret Life, Independent Magazine 3 January 2009". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022 . Retrieved 5 January 2009. Why did this grim-faced couple offer to drive to Cyprus? Maybe just to make some cash – but then why did they take a detour across Turkey, veering east to the plains of Anatolia where the man woke them all up one night to announce that they’d been robbed, and all their money was gone? They must’ve been delivering something, muses Victoria, green eyes dancing with amusement in her lively face, “either delivering or taking”, with herself and the others brought in as cover. A gaggle of wide-eyed young people was much less likely to attract the attention of Customs than two miserable gits in their 50s. Victoria, who speaks fluent Greek after having lessons for several years, says foreign climes prove an irresistible draw – and they are where she gets her inspiration.