Christy Lefteri

Songbirds, by Christy Lefteri

Petra, newly widowed and struggling, hires Nisha to care for her daughter. Nisha left her own daughter behind in Sri Lanka to find work in Cyprus and has not seen her for many years. Yiannis rents the upstairs apartment in Petra’s house, has a secret relationship with Nisha and another secret: he is a poacher, hunting the tiny songbirds which migrate past the island each year.
When Nisha suddenly vanishes, nobody cares, she is only a domestic worker after all. The only people desperate to find her are Petra and Yiannis, although for different reasons. As they search for Nisha, both realise how little they actually knew her and what they uncover will change them all. Read More »

The Beekeeper of Aleppo, by Christy Lefteri

Nuri is a beekeeper, living and working in the Syrian city of Aleppo. He lives a happy life surrounded by family, with his wife Afra and their young son, and friends. All is well until it isn’t. As war rages and their beautiful city is destroyed around them, Nuri and Afra must make the difficult decision to leave everything behind. Once a talented artist, Afra has been blinded by the terrible things she has witnessed, not least the death of their son. Nuri and Afra leave Aleppo and journey to the UK to be reunited with Nuri’s cousin and fellow beekeeper. But their journey is long and fraught with many dangers and difficulties. As they travel through Turkey and Greece towards the UK, they must also journey towards finding each other, and themselves, again. Read More »