The Sandcastle Girls

The Sandcastle Girls (2012) by Chris Bohjalian. The Sandcastle Girls tells the story of some historical events mixed in with fictional characters. At its core, the story is about the Armenian genocide of the early 20th century, a cataclysmic event that not many people are aware of. One and a half million Armenians were systematically murdered by Turkey, or at least by the remnants of the Ottoman Empire. The novel dramatizes those events, with a long-ago love affair between a Boston American woman and an Armenian man forming the axis of the book. While World War I forms the backdrop of the novel, little-known events are brought to the fore. The book takes place largely in Aleppo, Syria, where Americans have come to try and alleviate the suffering of the Armenians. Their efforts are to little avail, however, because they are stymied by the Turks at every turn. I found this to be an interesting book, and would recommend it to anyone with an inclination toward reading an historical novel. Grade: B+