Cyprus, the island in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, is home to the Hatzinikolaou family. This coming-of-age novel follows the youngest son, Demosthenes, from Cyprus to Sydney as their island nation is torn apart. The family is wealthy and live above Demosthenes’s grandfather’s tailor shop. His mother, Polixeni, parents in the absence of her husband, Evagoras. Demosthenes has two older siblings: brother, Konstandinos, and sister, Philadelphia. Life bubbles along until the Greek Junta’s overthrow of the island and the partition of the capital, Nicosia, in 1974. Evagoras arranges for the family to emigrate to Australia … where they know no-one.
Life for Demosthenes was already difficult. He, at age nine, ‘was a plump boy, with breasts bigger than those of [his] girl classmates’. He’s known he was gay from a very early age. He’s been sexually abused, and his self-loathing is such that he wonders if he brought it on himself. In Australia, his classmates call him ‘Dimwit’ rather than try to pronounce his name. His mother’s physical and mental health deteriorates. His father remains absent, and worse, teases with the possibility of presence. The children must find work to survive. Demosthene dreams of being an artist and finding an exit from this miserable situation.
The Art in My Palm is based on the author’s early life … and that is both a blessing and a curse. The author’s own memory is a vital resource, but the narrative is caught in an indecisive mix of fiction, quasi-memoir and lessons in Cyprus’s culture and history. Despite this, this book is worth reading as its intent is honourable and genuine and the subject matter is important.
Reviewed by Bob Moore
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Luke Icarus Simon was born in Cyprus and now lives in Australia. He graduated with an Honours degree in Literature & Drama from Australia’s oldest university, Sydney University. He holds two other postgraduate university qualifications including a Master’s degree.
He worked in education for 30 years
He was also teen actor from age sixteen working in theatre, television and films most notably in lead roles in the plays Urban Tales of Utter Devotion, Fish Wednesday, Sir, Breaking The Code, and A House on an Island in the Aegean. Two of his plays are now published and available for digital purchase from the Australian Plays Transform website.
He has had plays and screenplays produced, for SBS TV, AFTRS and ABC TV.
He is the author of two non-fiction books. His short stories and poems have been appearing in major literary journals, magazines and anthologies in Australia, USA, Canada and Greece since 1982.
His first book of poetry, LATIN was published by Picaro Press. He documented his cancer experience in his second book of poetry, THE TRANSIT OF CANCER. TRANSIT. His short story collection, LOST IN THE LAST DIVIDED CAPITAL. Both available in paperback from Amazon.
His other book is THE GOSPEL OF THE FALLEN: SELECTED POEMS 1996- 2016.
Luke currently lives in a Murray River town in regional New South Wales and makes appearances all over Australia to share his love of words and books.
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