On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more. Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip...

'Excellent as ever. Victoria Hislop at her best.' Reader review 'Within a few pages I was back in Greece and almost feeling the sun on my face.' Reader review Beloved author Victoria Hislop returns to Crete in this long-anticipated sequel to her multi-million-copy Number One bestseller, The Island . 25th August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences. When time stops dead for Maria Petrakis and her sister, Anna, two families splinter apart and, for the people of Plaka, the closure of Spinalonga is forever coloured with tragedy. In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past. Number one bestselling author Victoria Hislop returns to the world and characters she created in The Island - the award-winning novel that remains one of the biggest selling reading group novels of the century. It is finally time to be reunited with Anna, Maria, Manolis and Andreas in the weeks leading up to the evacuation of the island... and beyond. 'A return to Hislop's thyme-scented, Aegean-lapped fictional Greece' The Sunday Times Discover for yourself why ten million readers worldwide love the novels of Victoria Hislop... 'This dramatic, absorbing and good-natured novel abounds Greek Island atmosphere' Daily Mail on One August Night 'Immersive storytelling sweeps you along' Mail on Sunday on One August Night 'A dramatic story of love, betrayal and allegiances . . . Hislop evokes Greece beautifully' W oman & Home on One August Night 'Hislop's love for Greece shines through this wonderfully descriptive and compelling tale' Sunda y Express on One August Night 'This love letter to Greece will sweep you away to another time and place' The Sunday Mirror on One August Night 'Hislop expertly delves into the complex history of a fascinating country in this beautifully written family saga' Daily Mirror on One August Night 'Compelling and moving, this is a real page turner' Woman's Weekly on One August Night 'The descriptions of Greece leave you feeling like you're right there' Good Housekeeping on One August Night ' A beautifully written story that will enchant the reader' The Express on One August Night ' A dramatic story of love, betrayal and allegiances ' Woman magazine on One August Night In 2018, The Island was awarded a Nielsen Platinum Bestseller Award in recognition of selling over one million copies in the United Kingdom. Those Who Are Loved was a Sunday Times Number One bestseller in paperback for four weeks in August and September 2020.