And after the disappointment I had with Omega Minor this book was a relief. Much more enjoyable.
This is a Greek book that tells the story of Thessaloniki, through the eyes of our protagonist.
To me, Zirdo, our protagonist, was a bit like by Guy de Maupassant. Not a very likeable character. He was always seeing how to be better than anyone else; always reaching for the top.
In between the historical fiction chapters we also have metafiction(al) chapters subtitled: Stasimo (the chorus interruption in an ancient Greek tragedy).
Here is where we have the alter ego of the author reading the book he wrote to an ageing Zirdo. The book he wrote is none other than the book we are reading: Zirdo's biography.
In these interruption/ interlude chapters we have discussions of what is real, what is fictional, the process of writing, the ethics of writing, and so on.
I really liked this book, on how it was structured, its story, and especially learning about the history of Thessaloniki.