Lost letters. A secret Greek love affair. A daughter’s search for the truth. The Stolen Sister by Jan Baynham had me from the very first page. With each chapter, I discovered more secrets and was hooked. Curious to know more about the inspiration for the novel, I was thrilled when author Jan Baynham agreed to take me behind the scenes of The Stolen Sister.
Thank you for inviting me back to your lovely blog, Jessie.
If your readers are like me, they’ll be interested in the inspiration behind stories. My latest novel, The Stolen Sister, was inspired by a true story I read on a blog. A young American woman travelled to the island of Crete to find answers as to why her mother would never talk about the road accident that killed her father. Her mother shut out the memories, wanting her daughter to suppress them too. When she arrives in Chania as an adult, memories of that awful night start to come back to her. She reads a newspaper article detailing the accident and eventually finds her father’s grave to pay her respects. The ‘what if’s?’ started. What if a young Welsh girl knew nothing about her mother spending time in Crete? What if her mother’s request to scatter her ashes into the sea there was part of a secret she’d kept for over twenty years?
As I read the blogs, a dual narrative story set in mid-Wales and Crete in 1963 and 1984 formed in my head. The character of Greta would be an art student arriving at an art commune in a fictional town based on Chania in the early sixties. Twenty years later, Zoë would be her grief-stricken daughter, shocked to find her mother’s early life was something she knew nothing about. My story would be vastly different, emotional, yes, as the true story had been, but the unravelling of Greta’s secret and Zoë’s search for found family would be very unlike the blog. The inspiration may have been the starting point but my novel is a tale of family secrets, a tragic love story and romantic love, together with sibling relationships, that I hope readers will enjoy.
My thoughts on The Stolen Sister:
I went missing for three days because the story of The Stolen Sister haunted me until I knew the truth. It was wonderful to stay with Zoe as she solved the mystery surrounding her parents and her own identity.
Clues are woven seamlessly into the story, and the dual timeline is so clever and perfectly paced. There is emotion, drama and heartbreak at every twist and turn. Complex dilemmas and issues are handled well, and characters are beautifully drawn. Zoe’s investigation in Greece reveals heartbreaking secrets that will change her life forever.
I was transported to the ‘vibrant colours’ of Crete, experiencing the places and culture from Zoe’s perspective. As Zoe discovered more about her parents’ secrets, I was intrigued as to whether she find her own happy ever after. What a wonderful romantic and emotional escape in which the emotion pulled me into the narrative. The characters will stay with me, and it felt as if I was in the heart of one of the captivating real-life stories in the TV programme Long Lost Families.
A gorgeous story about love, loss and family secrets.
More about the Stolen Sister:
Lost letters. A secret Greek love affair. A daughter’s search for the truth.
Crete, 1963. Young artist Greta Ellis arrives at the sun-soaked port of Fáros Limáni, ready to paint and explore the beautiful Greek island.
There she meets passionate local, Andreas Papadakis, and Greta is swept up in a world of colour, freedom and forbidden love. But when tragedy strikes, Greta is forced to make an impossible choice that will change the course of her life — and her heart — forever.Wales, 1984. After the death of her beloved mother Greta, silversmith Zoë Carter receives a sealed letter that upends everything she thought she knew. Greta’s dying wish is for her ashes to be scattered in Crete, a place precious to her . . . but somewhere she had never spoken of.
Searching through her mother’s belongings, Zoë uncovers a series of letters. Written in Greek and dated the year before she was born, they reveal a passionate love affair. And a tragedy that tore it apart.
Determined to know the truth, Zoë travels to Crete to follow the trail left behind in her mother’s letters. Through the olive groves and whitewashed villages of Crete, she begins to piece together a story of love, betrayal and loss — and discovers that her family was never what it seemed.
Perfect for fans of Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton, Dinah Jefferies, Santa Montefiore, Fiona Valpy, Barbara Davis, Angela Petch, Karen Swan or Anita Chapman.
More about Jan Baynham
Originally from mid-Wales, Jan lives in Cardiff with her husband. She started writing when she retired after a career in education. Published by Joffe Books/Choc Lit Publishing, she writes about family secrets and explores how decisions and actions made by family members from one generation impact on the lives of the next. The Stolen Sister is her sixth novel. She enjoys meeting up with other writers, especially members of her local Cariad RNA Chapter as well as when attending talks and workshops.
I have read all of this author’s novels and love discovering the family secrets concealed in the narratives. Discover why so many readers love Jan Baynham’s moving and unforgettable sagas . . .
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The most compelling, evocative, heart-wrenching book I have ever read.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Captivating and emotional . . . A top, top, must-read.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘One of the best sagas I’ve read in a very long time.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘If you enjoy Victoria Hislop, then give this one a go.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A book about kindness and love, family, belonging, and about forgiveness – and I loved every moment.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A novel that will transport you to Greece, with its sensory delights of sights, sounds and flavours.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘The vivid imagery used to paint Greece is stunning and made me feel as if I was there. If you enjoy a multi-layered novel brimming with secrets, you’ll adore this story.’
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Historical fiction at its best.’
Click on the book below for more details about this gorgeous novel.
You can discover more about Jan Baynham and her writing via her blog or visit her Facebook Page.
