Review: Let Me Explain You by Annie Liontas

LET ME EXPLAIN YOU begins with a letter: Stavros Stavros Mavrakis-Greek immigrant, proud owner of the Gala Diner, having had a premonition of death and believing he has just ten days left to live, sends an email to his estranged ex-wife and three grown daughters in which he lays out his last wishes for each of them. He then sets about preparing for his final hours. With varying degrees of laughter and scorn, his family and friends dismiss his behavior as nothing more than a plea for attention, a mid-life crisis of sorts, but when Stavros disappears without explanation, those closest to him-particularly his eldest daughters Stavroula and Litza-are forced to confront the possibility of his death and the realities of their loss.

Kindle Edition, 352 pages

Expected publication: July 14th 2015 by Scribner 

Genre: Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

**I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!**

Every now and then a book comes along that makes you go "ok". This was one of those books for me. It made me think, it made me question and it made me ponder. These are all things that I do when I really like a book.

I'm not going to re-tell the story but instead I will try to describe some of the things I felt as I read it. The synopsis gives a good general idea of what the story is about.

First I have to begin by saying that some of the characters are not very likeable. In fact, from the very beginning it is very easy to hate Stavros Stavros Mavrakis and his daughters. As the story progressed I wouldn't say that I liked the characters any better but I did get a better understanding for them and where they were coming from. There were cultural and language barriers as well as an extreme amount of pride and stubbornness that shaped the people and plot of this story. It was about family, loyalty and misunderstandings and it made for some very interesting reading.

The story began in the present with the email but went back to before Stavros came to America. As is the case with most books, I found myself drawn to the past story a little more than the present one. It was not the fastest moving story but an extremely thought provoking one in my opinion. It will definitely stick with me for some time to come.

I thought that the writing was very well done and I even found myself reading parts of it with a Greek accent. The story was engaging and unique. This was the first novel for Annie Liontas but I don't think it will be her last. I would definitely read another book by this author and hope that I get the opportunity to. I really enjoyed it.

About the Author

A graduate of Syracuse University’s MFA program, Annie Liontas writes fiction and poetry. Since 2003, Annie has been dedicated to urban education, working with teachers and youth in Newark, Philadelphia, and Camden, NJ. Let Me Explain You is her first novel. She lives with her wife in Philadelphia. 

Connect with Annie

Twitter/Website/Goodreads