An Almost Flawless Education

Readers' Award - Greek National Book Centre (2008)

Professor Nikos Alexiou tried to figure out if he was having a nightmare or if this was raw reality. Suddenly, he had the feeling that part of himself was collapsing; the pride he felt at the thought he would leave Anna behind him as his legacy turned into anxiety, even guilt. His mind and soul searched for a way out: he had to look into Anna.s life, into every moment of it, and into his own responsibility. He could save his soul only through repentance. He had to ask her forgiveness for what he had or hadn’t done that had brought her here; he had to find out what he’d forgotten to teach her. And if he could, he would teach her now. Before it was too late. “If we had two lives I would never think of writing this novel. It would be of no use either to you or to me. We would live our first life as a rehearsal, as a trial run, so as to know how to live the second one better. If we died twice, we would most certainly die better the second time around. Unfortunately, things are not so. We have one life and it's short. There are no second chances, no second acts. No rehearsals, no trial runs. That's why we must do our best now- for ourselves and for our loved ones.”