The Tyrant’s Daughter by J.C. Carleson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Did you ever wonder what happens to the families of slain dictators? Did you ever think, surely they knew what was happening in their own homes? THE TYRANT’S DAUGHTER takes a look at those questions in a fascinating way. The narrator, a teenager named Laila, has a wonderful voice throughout the story, as she goes from sheltered daughter of an assassinated ruler to an exile, discovering that her life is not as it seems. After her father’s assassination, Laila and her family are moved to America by a somewhat shady CIA officer, and Laila begins to realize that the idyllic life she lead is not the one that everyone else in the world saw.
Laila has to deal with being the new girl, magnified a hundredfold. She has to get used to new foods, new friends, new methods of getting around. Culture clash is rampant here, and the author does a good job of describing the alienation Laila feels, and the emotions of her and her family as they stumble into their new roles. Laila’s brother still thinks he’s the son of a king. Laila’s mother doesn’t seem to know what to do with herself–or does she? And who are the strangers who come into their new home, closeted with Laila’s mother?
The story feels realistic and horribly on point with today’s political climate. The country of the deposed dictator is never explicitly mentioned, but it never feels like the author is trying to pull a fast one on the reader–clearly there was plenty of research done for this novel. The descriptions of life prior to exile are well done, and the Laila’s confusion with her exile is believable–as is her newfound confidence as she begins to fit in. She has to think about her life before and after her father’s death–was it really as comfortable as she thought, or were there things she turned away from when she didn’t want to see? Laila also has to deal with her mother’s sudden manipulative ways, and realizes she doesn’t have to be passive in her own life.
THE TYRANT’S DAUGHTER is a fast read, billed as YA but not watered down (and no love triangle to make you groan). Even if you know nothing about world politics, you’ll understand Laila. You may even find that you have more things in common than you think. This novel will hopefully give you an understanding of the other side, where something abhorrent to you might seem perfectly normal, if not acceptable. Their context is different than yours–perhaps no better, just different.
I received this as a pre-approved digital galley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.