The Making of Mrs Petrakis Mary by Karras, Two Roads
A fearless but aromatic story of Maria Petrakis’ bakery in Harringay, London – the heart of the Greek Cypriot community who fled war in their homeland. Maria escaped a violent marriage, and daughter Katerina died, survived by round-bellied brother Costa, hand outstretched for café leftovers. When Elena, 19, walks into her shop, Maria sees one word: daughterin-law. With baby number two on the way, Costa’s love for his wife grows, but “his understanding of her diminishes”. Elena feels cursed by the death of Katerina. Karras warms us with the honey, cinnamon and rosewater delicacies as the till hums in her cosy bakery, but the sweetmeats are a cover for a people ravaged by civil war and family loss in 1974 in Cyprus.