The Island by Victoria Hislop

Set in the former Greek Leper Colony of Spinalonga, a small island off the coast of Crete, this novel portrays the nature of leprosy, and how society coped with it.

In a bizarrely ironic twist of history, when Nazi Germany occupies the larger island, Spinalonga is left untouched. A family saga, this book portrays the tragic exile of those diagnosed with leprosy to the island.

From Crete, loved ones of the exiled patients look fearfully across at the nearby island, filled with gloomy thoughts about how their near and dear might be faring the leper colony.

In fact, despite the constant deterioration of their conditions, people live there with some level of comfort. Doctors go across regularly visit to treat them, and supplies are brought across each week by a dedicated boatman whose wife has been forced to leave him and their children after contracting the dreaded illness.

For a long time, the patients have been locals from Crete, but in an interesting twist, some highly skilled and motivated patients are transferred from overcrowded hospitals in Athens. Grateful for the opportunity to have a chance to improve their new home, they bring innovations that make life better for the lepers.

As we follow the gripping plot, we see not only how families were affected by the fears around those related to a family with a relative on the island, but the long-term shame and secrecy that continued through generations.

The gripping plot also conveys the search for a cure to the disease, as well as the dedication of the doctors whose work made it possible to treat the last patients and close the colony in the 1950s.

For me, this story held great appeal, since I love learning obscure bits of history by reading exciting and well-researched novels.