Let Me Explain You: A Novel

Stavros Stavros Mavrakis immigrated from Greece to America “with three hundred dollars in his pocket, a beard, and a wife.” Having dreamed of his death, Stavros believes he’s at the end of his journey, and has begun to question the value of his life, both before and after his arrival in America. He writes an e-mail to the women his family, his ex-wife and three daughters, purporting to understand them better than they understand themselves. “Let me explain you something,” he offers, and kicks off storm of doubt, self-evaluation, and memory that envelops Stavros and everyone around him. Will he really die in 10 days? If so, how will his loved ones feel? Will the struggle have been worth it?

Let Me Explain You is a story of a broken family, of tentative relationships, and of immigrant challenges. By the end of the novel, I was as confused about my feelings for Stavros as the rest of the characters. Whatever you feel about the protagonist and his dysfunctional family, it’s hard not to feel the sense of displacement he suffered in a new home, his helplessness in relating to his dependents, and his fierce pride in his accomplishments. Liontas has created a character I won’t soon forget.