Half a Hero: A Novel

A middle-aged politician unexpectedly becomes head of a government and must contend with party desertions, rival factions and persistent parliamentary obstruction. Social ceremonies and private ties—most notably his daughter's public debut and a growing intimacy with a younger woman—intersect with public crisis as assemblies, elections and legal disputes unfold. The narrative follows political maneuvering, betrayals and an attempted act of violence that exposes characters' motives, forcing shifting alliances and moral reckonings; the plot traces how ambition, personal loyalty and public duty collide and how revelations about character reshape the balance of power and lead to a final resolution.