The Nightingale, by Morgana Gallaway

As The Continental would say, "Wowie wow wow." This book is such a great read. It has a little bit of everything: a smart, relatable heroine; an intriguing setting; a twisty, turny plot; death and destruction; and an emotional yet chaste love story. Oh, and a military-industrial complex conspiracy. How can you go wrong?

The Nightingale is the story of Leila, a 23-year-old Iraqi woman who dreams of being a doctor. Her dreams should have been within her reach: she comes from a modern family and already has an undergrad degree. However, the events of the war in Iraq changed her father from a forward-thinking judge to a radical terrorist. In order to further her career, Leila begins working as a surgical assistant and translator at an army base. You can imagine how well that would go over with her father, who is very much a "death to America" type, so she sneaks and lies. Compounding matters, she finds herself drawn to James, an American captain. He's kind of a Byronic hero--broody and conflicted about his job in intelligence. Also, he's a writer, and you know how the ladies love writers. They're sensitive! I kid, I kid. The love story aspect of the novel reminds me of what makes Twilight (the first book, not the whole series) such a satisfying read, but with the addition of a heroine who is a far better role model for young women than Bella Swan could ever hope to be. (Also, the writing is head and shoulders above the guilty pleasure that is Twilight. No one chortles or chuckles in The Nightingale.)

Twilight isn't the only book that The Nightingale made me think of; in a way, the book is like a tragic Pride and Prejudice. Like Elizabeth Bennet, Leila has a sweet, supportive older sister and a mother who is obsessed with marrying her off to a repulsive cousin. Also like Elizabeth, Leila is not interested with conforming to her society's expectations of women. Elizabeth Bennet is one of my all-time favorite literary characters, so maybe that's why I found Leila so appealing.

I'd love to go on and on about the plot, but I'd hate to give anything away. In a plot-driven page turner like this one, the joy comes from wondering what will happen next. The appeal of The Nightingale goes deeper than that, though; it's a thoughtful look at a conflict in which there are no easy answers.