4 out of 4 stars
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Imagine waking up one morning to the horrific news that your friend was savagely beaten up, raped, left for dead, and now in the hospital barely clinging to life. On top of that, you and certain people aren’t allowed to visit her. To complicate matters, the man who stands accused of this horrendous crime is none other than — the man who has won your affections.
Anjali Chinak finds herself in such a predicament. Born in 1903, she finds her reality and that of those around her marred by the French colonization of her country, Cambodia: which was previously known as the Khmer Empire. Racism, social hierarchy, sexism, ageism, and oppression, etcetera, cloud their day-to-day lives. With the support of her Father, she becomes a detective. However, given the time-period and society, she is only assigned to solve petty crimes.
Determined to solve the mystery of identifying the person who had brutally attacked her friend, while unshackling herself from the menial tasks that had become routine, she embarks on a dangerous investigation to oust a possible serial killer hoping to find justice for her friend while clearing her crush of the charges. Caught in a love triangle – will the man of her dreams ever reciprocate her feelings? Will her friend survive the senseless attack? And finally, will her quest turn her into a heroine or another victim?
The Governor’s Daughter by Sambath Meas is a historical fiction novel doused with elements of mystery. The novel is the first book in the series, The Mysteries of Colonial Cambodia, published in 2017 by Red Empress Publishing.
Set in the 1920s, the author transports readers into the colonial period by setting the atmosphere and providing detailed descriptions of the time and experiences. The author highlights the discrimination against the Khmer people, the inferiority complex that some of the Khmers had inherited as a result, and the society’s tendency to undermine women; insisting that their primary roles should be domestic.
The story is in the first person narrative, which I felt worked well in immersing the reader into the protagonist’s world; it felt as though a friend was taking me through her experiences and struggles in the set period. A recurring theme in the novel was the prejudice towards capable women in historically accepted as “male fields.” This theme is portrayed throughout the novel as Anjali pleads and sets to prove herself constantly, “I’m capable. I just want to be given a chance.” And when she desires more from her life she says, “Nothingness is for the dead, not the living.”
I appreciated the themes, and how they were broached in this novel; I found them to be engaging and very informative. The main character was quite mature, personable, and likable. Most of the secondary characters were also likable, and all other introduced characters were central to the plot. The author incorporated words in Khmer and French languages into the narrative; the meaning of these words can be easily deduced from the context, and when necessary, the author skillfully weaved in a translation.
Some of the chapter titles, I felt, gave away too much of the plot, thus killing the suspense. However, I have to say; the concluding chapters amazed me. The unexpected plot twist made things a little more interesting.
Overall, I thought the book was well written, and I enjoyed reading the narrative of a strong female protagonist with so much to overcome. I also appreciated the bits of wisdom and encouragement she got from her grandfather and father who reminded her that matriarchy was once the foundation of her country. I, therefore, rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I have to mention that there were descriptions of victims of rape, attempted rape, and murder; but these weren’t too detailed. All in all, I’d recommend this book to young adults and anyone who loves a nice historical based mystery.
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The Governor's Daughter
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