The Flower Man’s Daughter by Jack Sobel

Verdict: Succeeds as both historical exposition and pure, compelling fiction.

Rife with political subtext that extends into the current events of our age, The Flower Man’s Daughter will not only hold your attention from start to finish as a dramatic story, but it will also leave you debating significant political ideologies in the present day.

With The Flower Man’s Daughter, Jack Sobel has skillfully crafted a novel that recounts the C.I.A.-backed violent coup that toppled Chilean President Salvador Allende in 1973. Succeeding as both historical exposition and pure, compelling fiction, it is immediately noticeable how well-researched Sobel’s subject is; he vividly details the complex series of events that serve as the setting for the protagonist, the recent Yale graduate and rookie C.I.A. officer Tony Gannon. Originally tasked with infiltrating the Chilean government as an undercover operative due to his fluency in Spanish, Gannon soon finds himself–albeit reluctantly–entangled in the massive downward-spiral that is this political revolution and the ethical implications of America becoming involved in the destabilization of the Chilean democracy.

Reviewed by Sam Dillard