Surrounded by the serene waves of the Aegean Sea and home to Paradisos II, an exclusive boutique resort, the island of Phaedros rests on a bedrock of family, faith, and rigid roles that are not to be tested. Emilio Politis, “on the verge of becoming Greece’s most celebrated hotelier,” has recently opened Paradisos II, fulfilling his mother’s promise of “a life in paradise.” Descended from refugees but now living a posh life filled with drink and women, Emilio has grown cold, calloused, and selfish. Meanwhile, in a refugee camp in southern Turkey, young pharmacist Maryam plans an escape with her husband and daughter—they take a boat to Greece, planning to pass through to Germany and then make their way to Canada. When the boat capsizes during a freak storm off the shore of Phaedros, Emilio is the one to pull Maryam to safety; with this act of heroism, paradise will never be the same. With the arrival of Maryam and another Syrian refugee who survived the sinking boat, the people of Phaedros are forced to reckon with their own biases, intolerance, and previously unchallenged views of the world, and when a murder shocks the island, tensions rise to a boiling point—Emilio must fight to preserve his family and his paradise from total collapse. This tale of paradise found spans hundreds of years, tracing the arcs of refugee and immigrant families from 1817 through 2015 to illustrate that the line dividing refugees fighting for their lives and a rich hotelier is shockingly thin—paradise can be taken away just as quickly as it was achieved. Though the plot and character development may have benefitted from more focus on Maryam and Emilio’s relationship, the fascinating histories of both of their families compellingly bring themes of religious intolerance, racism, and societal norms to light. The characters and their stories are both unique and universal, and Kokkaris’ depiction of their everyday lives broadens the reader’s understanding of the world.