Esi Edugyan: Washington Black, 9781781258972, Serpents Tail /Profile Books, pub date: August 1, 2018, trade paperback

Esi Edugyan lives in Victoria, British Columbia and was a finalist for the prestigious Man Booker Award for her previous work “Half Blood Blues”.  I have to confess I had never heard of her before. After reading the proof of her upcoming new novel “Washington Black”, I am no longer surprised why she was shortlisted. The quality of her writing is superb, reminding me of the language in classics. It was a pleasure to read such finely crafted writing and such a captivating story. 

I am positive “Washington Black” will appeal to readers who enjoyed “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi  or “ Underground Railroad” by Colson Whitehead.

This literary novel is set in the cruel world of slavery in the early 19^th century narrating the incredibly adventurous life story of George Washington Black, “Wash”,  a slave boy born on the Faith Plantation in Barbados.  The barbaric way plantation owners used to exploit their “human merchandise” cutting sugar cane is truly incomprehensible, the cruelty and punishments beastly.  Such is the daily life of the child slave Wash who is lucky to have the fierce protection of Big Kid, the closest thing he ever knows to a mother.  His life changes dramatically when they are ordered to serve at a dinner in the big house where Erasmus Wilde is entertaining his brother Christian “Titch” Wilde, a scientist from England  who recognizes something in the boy. Titch, a wealthy eccentric explorer is opposed to slavery unlike his brother whose cruelty knows no boundaries.  He begs his brother to loan Washington to him to assist with scientific experiments.  Washington has a quick mind but never having known kindness from white people he has to shed his mistrust while learning to read and write becoming an invaluable assistant to Titch who is building a “cloud cutter”, an early version of an air balloon.  Events heat up when Titch’s and Erasmus cousin Philipp visits the plantation from England leading to two terrible accidents and a death, disfiguring Wash. The hasty escape of Titch and Wash by their newly build cloud cutter is  the beginning of an unimaginable  journey  to freedom for Washington, his coming of age in strange countries, surviving danger and slave catchers together with Titch who recognizes in him a human being  becoming his family and friend. When Titch suddenly disappears in the Canadian Arctic, Washington is completely lost and forced to fend for himself.  His travels to his true inner freedom lead him through many encounters and countries, Nova Scotia, England, Holland and Morocco trying to answer the very question what true freedom really means .   

A German translation of “Half Blood Blues” by Insel  Verlag is available but I could not find a German publisher yet for this novel.