The Elephant Keeper's Daughter by Julia Drosten
Author : Julia Drosten
Title : The Elephant Keeper's Daughter
Published : 2018
Publisher : Amazon Crossing
Pages : 302
Genre : Historical Fiction
Ceylon, 1803. In the royal city of Kandy, a daughter is born to the king’s elephant keeper—an esteemed position in the court reserved only for males. To ensure the line of succession, Phera’s parents raise her as a boy. As she bonds with her elephant companion, Siddhi, Phera grows into a confident, fiercely independent woman torn between the expectations of her family and her desire to live life on her own terms. Only when British colonists invade is she allowed to live her true identity, but when the conquerors commit unspeakable violence against her people, Phera must add survival to the list of freedoms for which she’s willing to fight. Possessed by thoughts of revenge yet drawn into an unexpected romance with a kindly British physician, the elephant keeper’s daughter faces a choice: Love or hatred? Forgiveness or retribution?
What first drew me to this book was the cover, It is such a beautiful image that I could not help but pick a copy up and flip it over to see what it was about. This is where thing got Interesting for me, A lot of my home countries history is skipped over when we are taught in school. The biggest part if this is our colonel past. I am aware that at one point England ruled over a great deal of the world. I also know from little bits that I have dug into that what we did was to put in mildly barbaric. But within that pages of this book, I came face to face with just how bad it was. It is a hard thing to swallow that your countries past is not all sunshine and roses. But I feel most ardently that it is something we must confront. There is a reason that nearly every countries independence day is from England.
When first turning the pages of this book I had to look up where Ceylon was, It was only after a quick google search that I discovered it is now modern day Sri Lanka. An island of the coast of India. And it is through this author's beautiful description of a place so far away from my home that I got to discover a land that England tried so hard to crush. But I feel like I'm getting ahead of my self here. when first we come to the place we are introduced to Phera and her family. They hold a very high place in the caste system of Kandy. But she is also pushed into a situation that is difficult for her to come to terms with. Could you pretend to be a boy just so your family could keep on to the position it has held for so long? What the author gives us is look in the life of a girl who must become something more than she ever thought she could be. battling both her preordained position in life and that of an invading force trying to tear the only life she has to know apart. She is a wonderfully crafted character that I could not help but want to follow along with her life. She becomes the catalyst and driving force in her search for a place that not only she can call her own but also feel safe.
The is the author has given me not only the most beautiful story I have read in a good long while but also an insight in a part of my countries history that many would like to remain buried in the past. This is a story that covers so many genres that it becomes hard to pin down. But for me, this can only be a good thing. It is one girl's epic life that also encapsulates the story of two countries and the battles that were fought so long ago but still stain the very soil of one's land to this day. It allowed me to learn a great deal even within the grounds of a fictional tale. There where times when reading this that I felt such deep shame for the actions being portrayed, and how could I not for many where based on actual events. Even if you are not English the horrors that took place I feel will affect you on a very deep level. It is a fundamental thing that we feel hurt for those that are oppressed. Surely everyone has the right to fund mental freedoms. But it is through the tale of Phera that we get to witness that there is hope to be found and that sometimes with help from others you can change the course of a country forever.
As you can tell this is a book I have truly fallen in love with. The author's style is one that would almost seem magical if not for the real world that floods in to take us on both part historical fiction and a part history lesson. She captivates us with the tale of a girls life where even the seemingly insurmountable can be beaten if you can summon a deep inner strength and fight with everything you have. Phera is one of those people who I have spoken of before. She is one of the burning bright beacons of hope in the world.
What first drew me to this book was the cover, It is such a beautiful image that I could not help but pick a copy up and flip it over to see what it was about. This is where thing got Interesting for me, A lot of my home countries history is skipped over when we are taught in school. The biggest part if this is our colonel past. I am aware that at one point England ruled over a great deal of the world. I also know from little bits that I have dug into that what we did was to put in mildly barbaric. But within that pages of this book, I came face to face with just how bad it was. It is a hard thing to swallow that your countries past is not all sunshine and roses. But I feel most ardently that it is something we must confront. There is a reason that nearly every countries independence day is from England.
When first turning the pages of this book I had to look up where Ceylon was, It was only after a quick google search that I discovered it is now modern day Sri Lanka. An island of the coast of India. And it is through this author's beautiful description of a place so far away from my home that I got to discover a land that England tried so hard to crush. But I feel like I'm getting ahead of my self here. when first we come to the place we are introduced to Phera and her family. They hold a very high place in the caste system of Kandy. But she is also pushed into a situation that is difficult for her to come to terms with. Could you pretend to be a boy just so your family could keep on to the position it has held for so long? What the author gives us is look in the life of a girl who must become something more than she ever thought she could be. battling both her preordained position in life and that of an invading force trying to tear the only life she has to know apart. She is a wonderfully crafted character that I could not help but want to follow along with her life. She becomes the catalyst and driving force in her search for a place that not only she can call her own but also feel safe.
The is the author has given me not only the most beautiful story I have read in a good long while but also an insight in a part of my countries history that many would like to remain buried in the past. This is a story that covers so many genres that it becomes hard to pin down. But for me, this can only be a good thing. It is one girl's epic life that also encapsulates the story of two countries and the battles that were fought so long ago but still stain the very soil of one's land to this day. It allowed me to learn a great deal even within the grounds of a fictional tale. There where times when reading this that I felt such deep shame for the actions being portrayed, and how could I not for many where based on actual events. Even if you are not English the horrors that took place I feel will affect you on a very deep level. It is a fundamental thing that we feel hurt for those that are oppressed. Surely everyone has the right to fund mental freedoms. But it is through the tale of Phera that we get to witness that there is hope to be found and that sometimes with help from others you can change the course of a country forever.
As you can tell this is a book I have truly fallen in love with. The author's style is one that would almost seem magical if not for the real world that floods in to take us on both part historical fiction and a part history lesson. She captivates us with the tale of a girls life where even the seemingly insurmountable can be beaten if you can summon a deep inner strength and fight with everything you have. Phera is one of those people who I have spoken of before. She is one of the burning bright beacons of hope in the world.
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