In Les Bateaux d'argile, Constantia Sotiriou unearths hidden layers of Cypriot history, blending collective memory, folklore, personal stories, and the lingering effects of past injustices. The novel opens with a creation myth, where humans first learn to extract metals from the earth, and then God withdraws, leaving humanity to shape its own destiny. The story centers on a red lake, a symbol of both beauty and danger, and the events of 2019, when foreign female workers were found murdered. Through the eyes of an elderly Cypriot woman, the narrative unfolds as she follows the investigation, watches the news, and interacts with Lani, a Filipino worker living with her. As the story progresses, the present-day events are interwoven with the past. The woman recalls her late husband, Nikolis, who worked in the mines, inhaling dust that no one wanted to acknowledge. "The dust was full of silica," she says, highlighting how the very material that brought prosperity also brought suffering. The novel shows how the landscape, with its colors and textures, reflects the economic and social violence of the past. Sotiriou does not simply layer history on top of the present; instead, she allows the two to converse through language, with the narrator shifting between memory and judgment, love and prejudice. The strength of the novel lies in its oral quality—its voice is raw, unpolished, and full of contradictions. The narrator can express affection for Lani while still carrying the prejudices of a society that often overlooks migrant women. When she speaks of the missing women and the authorities' lack of interest, the line "she never showed interest in any of them" cuts through the narrative with quiet power. The novel explores themes such as British colonization, mining labor, silicosis, poverty, modern migration, and the gendered nature of memory. It also weaves in songs, myths, and folklore, ensuring the missing women are not forgotten. The novel's language is rich and varied, full of humor, anger, and tenderness. However, this abundance can sometimes feel overwhelming, with repeated themes and constructed parallels between past and present. Yet, the repetition is not without purpose—it reflects a memory that has not been properly heard or acknowledged. Nicolas Pallier’s French translation preserves the oral rhythm of the original, capturing its subtle shifts and circling around central themes. Les Bateaux d'argile does not focus on the crimes themselves as a mystery to solve. Instead, it brings attention to those who observe, those who remain silent, and those whose disappearances were not met with urgency. The red lake becomes more than a setting—it is a repository of history. When it finally reveals its contents, it reflects an entire society confronting its past.