Manolis Aligizakis

Swamped Manolis Aligizakis

This book is a compass that guides the reader through the vortex of life and the whims of the stock market. Eteo, the Greek-Canadian protagonist, sometimes drags us into the depths of the Stock Exchange where he catches its unseen secrets and sometimes returns us like a mysterious river the waters of which turn back, to memories of his birth and childhood in Crete. A book that oscillates between yesterday and today, poverty and wealth, good and evil, yet remains steadfast in the universal human values by watching them through the lens of an honest stockbroker who reaches Vancouver's top while he remains intact. Lyrical, erotic, humane, realistic, and at the same time surrealistic, it captivates the reader as it manages to keep alive the child within by releasing his curiosity through the lens of humanity. The hero learns that man is made for greatness and it teaches him the lesson of dignity, reinforcing within him the power of grace and love. Manolis creates a novel based on his life experiences and his inter-relational power, and he presents to us high-quality prose by bringing up the true values of life, with fullness, vitality, and persuasion; values which exist behind the conventional values of the Stock Exchange. Chrysa Nikolaki, theologian, book-critic, poet