The brutal murder of young Karin Grech in 1977 was taken as the basis for a new novel that has just been published.

The book, Island of Dreams by Aline Pnina Tayar, is based on the motto: A single act of violence has more than a single victim.

In 1977, the story goes, a doctors’ strike brought Malta to the brink of civil war. When Sarita Toledano, a descendant of one of the island’s oldest Jewish clans, was killed by a letter bomb, her family scattered throughout the world.

Thirty-four years later, her daughter Claire and her nieces, Ellie and Vanna, reluctantly return to decide the fate of two ageing aunts.

What they find is a place once more in great turmoil; in the wake of the “Arab Spring”, thousands of boat people are being washed up on Malta’s shores.

Inevitably, past and present merge as the cousins are faced with reminders of the turbulent events that led to their forced departure. As they again confront the central tragedy of their lives, they begin to re-define themselves and their allegiances to family, religion and country.

Born in Malta, Aline is also the author of a memoir “How Shall We Sing? A Mediterranean Journey Through a Jewish Family” (Pan Macmillan/Picador).

The book is available in the printed form and as an e-book on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com, as well as selected bookshops in the UK.

The Maltese Embassy in Brussels, where the author works, is planning an official launch.