Central Coast author Sally Jane Smith will launch her latest novel, Repacking for Greece: A Mediterranean Odyssey at a multi-author event on June 5 as part of the Words on the Waves Writers Festival.
A follow-up to her first novel, Unpacking for Greece, this latest book sees the author return to Greece with another amusing and insightful look at the country which has become close to her heart.
When a long-forgotten, apartheid-era arrest record derails her plans for a Canadian family holiday, Smith once again packs her mum’s 1978 travel diary and sets out solo for Greece.
As she journeys to the landmarks her mother once visited — and discovers many more — the author immerses us in Greece’s awe-inspiring landscapes and fascinating heritage sites.
She delights in absorbing the country’s rich history and connecting the dots between legend, location and contemporary literature.
Repacking for Greece travels from an initial flashback chapter in 20th-century South Africa to 10 memorable Greek destinations: Athens and Delphi on the mainland; Nafplio, Mycenae, Epidavros and Methana on the Peloponnese Peninsula; and the islands of Hydra, Poros, Kefalonia and Corfu (with a side trip to Albania)
The book can be read either as a stand-alone story, or as a sequel to Unpacking for Greece, which was named by Greek government website Greek News Agenda as Reading Greece Book of the Month in July 2023.
The cover features a very personal item: the scuffed red journal that has brought Smith closer to her mother’s memory.
In the background stand the three remaining columns of Delphi’s Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, reaching up to dawn-lit skies.
“Greece is the star of this story, but the narrative also follows my personal transformation while I was there,” she said.
“My first book was about letting go of personal baggage, regrets about my relationship with my mum, who died when I was in my 20s, and a deep fear of buses following a long-ago solo travel accident.
“Repacking for Greece is about replenishment; it is about abandoning anxiety and finding joy.”
Smith has lived on five continents and visited 33 countries, but credits Greece for turning her into a writer.
She completed a residency at Varuna, the Writers’ House in the Blue Mountains, in 2018 and has published articles in Gulf News, TripFiction, Women’s Ink! and Brevity Blog.
Her story of her great-great-grandmother’s extraordinary life appears in the anthology Itchy Feet: Tales of Travel and Adventure.
Her exploration of travel and grief is included in the Newcastle Short Story Award Anthology 2022.
The multi-author event launching Repacking for Greece will be at Tuggerah Library at 6.30pm on Wednesday June 5.
It is a free event but registration is essential at wordsonthewaves.com.au/book-launch-program-2024/