Natalie Bakopoulos has that rare gift, the ability to imagine a traumatic historical event in the form of individual lives and ordinary details. The Green Shore is compelling, personal, and full of quietly real moments.

It was strange, I reflected.. that even in the weirdest circumstances, the most troubling episodes of one's life, the greatest divides from home and familiarity, there were these moments of undeniable joy.

The thing that most haunted me that day, however...was the fact that these things had - apparently - actually occurred...For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history's terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth. And once you've seen that truth - really seen it - you can't look away.

I wasn't brought up to be dazzled by money or fame.

...History it seemed could be something entirely different a splash of blood whose agony didn't fade overnight or over centuries.

In the end, I always act from the heart, even if I also value reason and tradition. I wish I could explain why, but I don't know.

When you handle books all day long, every new one is a friend and a temptation.