The Elephant Keeper's Daughter

From the bestselling author of The Lioness of Morocco comes the beguiling novel of a young woman trapped between the expectations of her family and the desire to live free.

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?

Julia and Horst Drosten write historical novels together under the pseudonym Julia Drosten. In their spare time, Julia loves to do yoga, and Horst runs regularly. Horst is also a very skilled cook, and Julia loves to eat the meals he creates. The authors have written many other works of historical fiction in German, and they greatly enjoy conducting research for their novels—diving into history and making the past come alive. They count flying in a historic biplane, watching the workers in a butcher’s shop, exploring Egypt, and being pampered by a beautician among their research pursuits. The authors of The Lioness of Morocco, an Amazon bestseller in Germany and the United States, Julia and Horst live in the idyllic Münsterland in Germany. The Elephant Keeper’s Daughter, originally published in German under the title Die Elefantenhüterin, is their second novel translated into English.