Back to Delphi

A stirring story about a mother and her son, Back to Delphi is the most recent novel by an author who is both beloved by readers and acclaimed by critics in her native Greece.

Linos has been granted a five-day furlough from prison, where he is serving a life sentence for a series of violent crimes. Seeking a way to re-establish a connection with her estranged son, his mother decides to take him on a tour of Delphi. A few days spent in that magical place, she thinks, might distract him from his awful fate. She also hopes that this brief time together might be a chance for them to repair what, for many years, has been a damaged relationship. To that end she also intends to reveal to her son the truth about his arrest: she was the one who tipped off the police. In order to find the strength to make such a terrible revelation, she will have to sift through every one of her memories of the days leading up to his arrest.

During their time together, as mother and son wander the magnificent ruins of Delphi, Linos's mother is forced to ask herself to what extent she, too, is implicated in the crimes committed by her only son. To what extent is any parent responsible for the acts of his or her child? This is a return to the origins of Greek tragedy, a story about guilt and innocence, about the monsters that lurk even in everyday life, and about the complex and fascinating relationship between mothers and their sons.

About the Author

Ioanna Karystiani was born on the island of Crete, Greece, & now lives in Athens. Her literary debut came with the collection of short stories, I kyria Kataki (Ms. Kataki). She has since written three novels, all of which have been translated into several languages.