When her best friend Heather calls in the middle of the night, Becca assumes it's the usual drama. Wrong. Heather's parents have been arrested as dissidents - and Becca's mother, the dystopian regime's most infamous torturer, has already executed them for their crimes against the state.
To stop Heather from getting herself killed trying to prove her parents' innocence, Becca hunts for proof of their guilt. She doesn't expect to find evidence that leaves her questioning everything she thought she knew about the dissidents... and about her mother.
When she risks her life to save a dissident, she learns her mother isn't the only one with secrets - and the plot she uncovers will threaten the lives of the people she loves most. For Becca, it's no longer just a choice between risking execution and ignoring the regime's crimes; she has to decide whose life to save and whose to sacrifice.
It's easy to be a hero when you can save the world, but what about when all you can do is choose how you live in it? THE TORTURER'S DAUGHTER is a story about ordinary teenage life amidst the realities of living under an oppressive regime... and the extraordinary courage it takes to do what's right in a world gone wrong.
dis·si·dent
/ˈdisidənt/
A person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state.
Could you imagine living in a place where any little word, any little ill-percieved action could get you thrown in a cell? Executed, even? That's the kind of place Becca lives in, although the brutal truths have been hidden from her under the protection and respect of her mother, a women who takes the lead in the interrogation and torture of "dissidents."
When her best friend, Heather, is taken in due to the actions of her parents, Becca's perspective towards the world they live in begin to change. She begins to ask questions that verge on dangerous, and Heather becomes a total stranger, leaving Becca to wonder if there is anyone left she can trust.
Becca faces some tough decisions, forced to choose between her beliefs and the love she's alway had for her family.
I will not be someone who abandons my principles as soon as they become inconvenient. I will not be someone who says that certain things have to be done... as long as somebody else does them.Becca is the focus here, and I really loved the way we saw her change, grow, and morph into ideas she didn't even know she could possess. Getting to know her and connecting to her was effortless. The side characters, such as Heather and Jake, were a little more difficult to relate to. I wish I had known Heather before the incident that took away her parents, because I had a hard time believing Becca when she gave us some insight into who Heather used to be. And Jake... well, I felt bad for the guy, but other than that, I wasn't too worried or concerned about him.
I did feel enveloped in the world that Cannon created, but what caused all this authoritarianism? Maybe I'm just a reader who likes to know everything, but I caught myself wondering how the "oppressive regime" came to be. Other than that, Cannon is very descriptive of the world she's built, drawing us into it and making us see it for what it is.
I really enjoyed Zoe Cannon's dystopian story. The writing style was fluid and easy to follow and the situations that the author sets up for her characters are believable, creating genuine conflict and emotions.
Recommend :)
This sounds like an interesting dystopian. The premise is different. Great review!
ReplyDeleteEmily @ Counting in Bookcases