The Enemy's Daughter

November 11, 2024
In May 1915, following a long stay with American relatives, Marta, 12, and her father are traveling home on the Lusitania, bearing false identity papers to hide their German citizenship. When the ship is bombed by a German submarine just after Marta’s father’s nationality is uncovered by another passenger, they jump overboard together. Father and daughter survive but are separated, and quick-witted Marta must make her way alone. Relying on her talent for adopting different accents, she poses as American, then English, then Dutch as she journeys from the Irish fishing boat that rescues her to the English city of York, where she is taken in by the Irish O’Sullivans. Wavering between disbelief that “her people had bombed the Lusitania,” hatred for the “greedy” English and Irish, and guilt and confusion about her deepening friendship with the family’s daughter Clare and the heartfelt care they all provide, Marta grapples with her subterfuge. As she demonstrates consistent bravery through unusually challenging experiences, Marta’s naive viewpoint expands to encompass a unity of humankind. The well-paced story offers a look into WWI history from the seldom-told perspective of a child whose native country is often depicted as the enemy. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary.