A CREATIVE husband and wife from Aston Fields have released a book detailing her early years growing up in Cyprus during the Turkish invasion of 1974.
Mike Layton, 65, and his Greek-Cypriot wife Andry Christou-Layton, 52, co-authored ‘The Night The Owl Cried: A Taste of Cyprus’ which covers the first 18 years of Andry’s life between 1965 and 1983.
This period covers the events of the coup and invasion of Cyprus in 1974, which is dealt with within the book, and also features other elements of the history of Cyprus, culture, places and food.
Mr Layton, who is a retired police officer has authored and co-authored 11 police-related books over the last four years, and Andry previously served as a police officer in the Sovereign Bases in Cyprus.
He said: “Often happy and sometimes tragic as unforeseen deaths occurred, the book provides an insight into village life and how even in the face of adversity and hardship the family blossomed and grew.
“The title comes from the belief that if an owl cries outside your house its a bad omen and on the night before the coup in Cyprus in 1974 an owl sat outside Andry’s family home and cried.
“Above all else it is a story of hope.”
‘The Night The Owl Cried: A Taste of Cyprus’ is available at www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1549649485/ in paperback for £12.99 or as an e-book.
