AUTHOR Krystof Carel is launching his new novel at Malvern Book Co-op later this month.

Roads to Varosha, which is published by Malvern-based Aspect Design, draws on the author's recollection of Cyprus, including the town of Varosha, which had a population of forty thousand before it was abandoned in 1974.

The novel traces the families and acquaintances of George, a British Colonial civil servant, and his friend Costas, a local government clerk, after the pair form a friendship in the 1930s.

Subsequent generations negotiate life in a sometimes troubled Cyprus. The finale is set against a backdrop of austerity and crisis in Greece.

Mr Carel, who has recently retired from the NHS and lives in south Worcestershire, said: “I lived in Varosha through the 1960s; it was a friendly town in which to grow up.

"The town was abandoned in 1974 during the Turkish invasion and partition of Cyprus. It has remained abandoned ever since. The broader historical context is referenced as a background to the fictitious events in Roads to Varosha.”

The launch event is on Tuesday, November 29 at the book co-op in St Ann's Road at 7.30pm. Tickets at £5 including refreshments are available in advance from the shop.

Roads to Varosha is available from local independent booksellers in Malvern, Ledbury and elsewhere and from Aspect Design in Malvern, and from krystofcarel.com.