She Came to Stay
Eleni Kyriacou
One of Woman & Home‘s Best Historical Fiction Reads of 2020
In a city of strangers, who can you trust?
London, 1952. Dina Demetriou has travelled from Cyprus for a better life. She’s certain that excitement, adventure and opportunity are out there, waiting – if only she knew where to look.
Her passion for clothes and flair for sewing land her a job repairing the glittering costumes at the notorious Pelican Revue. It’s here that she befriends the mysterious and beautiful Bebba.
With her bleached-blonde hair and an appetite for mischief, Bebba is like no Greek Dina has ever met before. She guides Dina around the fashionable shops, bars and clubs of Soho, and Dina finally feels life has begun.
But Bebba has a secret. And as thick smog brings the city to a standstill, the truth emerges with devastating results. Dina’s new life now hangs by a thread. What will be left when the fog finally clears? And will Dina be willing to risk everything to protect her future?
One of Woman & Home‘s Best Historical Fiction Reads of 2020
Media Reviews
She Came To Stay is a gripping story about friendship, family and the meaning of home. An atmospheric page-turner perfectly set in the smoke and glitter of a vanished world. – Erin Kelly
Set in the dazzling world of 1950s Soho, She Came to Stay is an evocative page-turner full of memorable characters who stayed inside my head long after I had finished reading. Eleni Kyriacou has written a wonderful debut – Jenny Quintana, author of The Missing Girl
Secrets and lies, poverty and elegance, old loyalties and new friendships all combine to make Eleni Kyriacou’s debut novel a compelling page-turner, following Dina as she struggles to escape her past in rural Cyprus and make a better life for herself in 1950s Soho. – Fiona Valpy, bestselling author of The Dressmaker’s Gift
Compelling and beautifully observed. Kyriacou brilliantly evokes the violence and the grime beneath the sequins and surface glamour of 1950s Soho – Rachel Rhys, bestselling author of Dangerous Crossing
An absorbing story of friendship, betrayal and resilience amongst the immigrant community where the struggle for survival brings out the best – and the worst – in characters who choose conflicting, often dangerous, ways to get ahead in a post war London. – Sarah Maine, bestselling author of Beyond the Wild River
A gripping, evocative story of the dangers facing a young Cypriot girl in 1950s Soho. Even breathing the air is a risk as the great smog descends. The descriptions of the louche world of cafés and strip clubs are well researched and utterly convincing. It’s a real gem of a book. – Gill Paul, bestselling author of The Lost Daughter
An intriguing tale that is supported by wonderful characterisation – Woman’s Own
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