New historical fiction novel centers on survival and sacrifice during WWII

Grand Rapids author Christopher Cosmos likens reading to traveling.

“I love to travel. In so many ways, reading a story is simply traveling, oftentimes to a place you can’t physically get to any other way — like the past,” he said. “This is one of the things that sparked my interest in historical fiction, specifically.”

Cosmos’ fourth novel, “Island of Ghosts and Dreams” (Pegasus Books, $28.95), is set in Greece during World War II. After mainland Greece falls to the Germans, the Greek government flees to the island of Crete.

Maria is a Cretan villager whose husband is in the Greek army. She finds a British soldier named William washed up on a secluded beach near her home and nurses him back to health when the Germans invade Crete. The novel highlights the struggles of the Greek resistance and civilians during World War II, focusing on themes of sacrifice and survival.

Released March 3, “Island of Ghosts and Dreams” has already received some high praise.

“Today.com called it ‘a modern epic’ and named it one of their best books of the year,” Cosmos said.

New York Times best-selling author Lori Nelson Spielman, of Lansing, called the novel “an epic tale of resilience, passion and promise,” saying it “deftly weaves together threads of hope, inspiration and unflinching love into a stunning illustration of how tragedy can transform us into our best and bravest self.”

Cosmos spoke about the novel’s origins.

“My family came to Michigan from Greece, originally. I still spend a lot of time in Greece each year and tell stories inspired both by the ones I heard growing up and the ones that I continue to hear and discover while living here and in Greece,” he explained. “My hope is that with each novel I write, I get a little bit better at my craft, and I think that definitely holds true with ‘Island of Ghosts and Dreams.’ I see my work differently than a lot of authors, I think, in that I see all the characters I write and stories I tell as being real.”

The youngest of two sons, Cosmos was born and raised in West Michigan, growing up in Lowell. He attended the University of Michigan on the prestigious Chick Evans Scholarship and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and film/screenwriting. His ultimate dream is to have a novel adapted into a film or TV series.

For Cosmos, the best part about being an author is hearing from readers.

“It’s a very long journey writing stories like this one, which represents several years of my life,” he said. “I’m very fortunate that this is my full-time job.”