Thimio's House

Fish is an idealistic young composer whose life is in meltdown. Gabrielle is an archaeologist who has uncovered something frightening and needs to get away. The couple escape to economically decimated Greece where they take up residence at the abandoned house of Fish's late father. The arrival of a rebellious lifeguard, a love-struck schoolteacher and an Albanian puppeteer, prompts Fish to follow his utopian dream of creating a new society. But as the heat of the Greek summer rises and tensions in the fledgling "republic" increase, the unspoilt Aegean shoreline plays host to a series of unexplained events that threatens the future of the community. With the sounds of Fish's imaginary orchestra playing throughout, Thimio's House builds towards an emotional crescendo and a shocking revelation. Lyrical and satirical, funny and sad, sensuous and intellectual, gentle and traumatic, John Kefala Kerr's remarkable debut novel is about the raw unhappiness of modern society and an ancient vision of utopia.