One summer, three strangers sail a catamaran around the beautiful Croatian islands near Dubrovnik. Their joint mission is to bring library books to the islands’ children. Each member of the crew is running from something, a problem, a secret, a hidden past. The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn is a tale of ten weeks that changes lives. Ana, owner of the catamaran, needs to earn money this summer or risks losing her boat, the ‘Dida Krila.’ Signing up for the library trial will, she hopes, win her a four-year contract and bring financial stability. If she fails, she will have no choice but to join the family oyster business. She employs two people. Lloyd, a widower and former teacher, will run the library part of the trip. Natali, a young mechanic who arrives on board with her tiny dog Obi, is so shy she seems frightened of her own shadow.
The first trip around the islands is about getting to know the job, and each other, while living in a confined space. Each person seems wrapped up in themselves, no one shares, there are tensions, awkwardnesses. When a purse is stolen near the library stall on one of the islands, there is an accusation of theft and the past comes roaring back to mess up the now. The future of the floating library is in danger and Ana, in her first role as a manager, feels out of her depth.
The hold of the past over the present is a theme running throughout the book. Ana has a decision to make when a former lover returns, seeking an answer about a deal which Ana never took seriously. Natali must summon the courage to change her life, move on from her difficult child, figure out what she wants and make it happen. Lloyd has an old mistake to acknowledge and set aside, and discover a new path forwards. No matter how Ana, Lloyd and Natali each, for their own reasons, want to forget, the past is not a forgotten world and its imprint is on every day today.
This is a story set in surroundings of such Mediterranean beauty but in the deep blue water and the green wooded hills, the shadows of war and tragedy remain. Glyn has created characters that stayed with me after I finished the book, she reminds us that love from family and friends is a gift, not an automatic right. Highly recommended.

Here are my reviews of other books by Eva Glyn:-
THE COLLABORATOR’S DAUGHTER
THE MISSING PIECES OF US
Eva Glyn is the pen name of author Jane Cable, here are my reviews of some of Jane’s other novels:-
ANOTHER YOU
ENDLESS SKIES
THE CHEESEMAKER’S HOUSE

If you this, try:-
‘The Lie of the Land’ by Amanda Craig
‘Akin’ by Emma Donoghue
‘The Girl in the Painting’ by Renita d’Silva

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE CROATIAN ISLAND LIBRARY by Eva Glyn @JaneCable https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8H0 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-