Koraki, in Greek folklore, is the herald of death. George Ploumidis draws from his Greek heritage to weave a contemporary tale of everyday people who lead, seemingly, simple lives. But you need to dig just a little to find that nothing is simple in life. Nicola, the main character, discovers this soon after his father's death. Other characters need to look in unlikely places, such as brothels and desk drawers, to discover what they never knew existed.
All of George Ploumidis' characters have ethnic names reminding the readers that Australia has many facets. Αs with the title, the writer didn't want to compromise the integrity of his story and refused to change the names to improve his chances for publication. Until he found Shield-Maiden Publishing. The company agreed to keep the names of the characters as the author intended.
In his first novel, George Ploumidis displays a flair for storytelling and a refreshing look at the lives of people who could be living next door. Immediacy, familiarity and unpretentious are easily recognizable in his writing. The dialogues are kept short and sharp and reveal the nature of his characters. The story moves among generations and ethnicities bringing a tapestry of views well known to the Australian audience. Particularly powerful is the plight of Lidia, the main character's Italian mother, who is in a nursing home.
