Washington Black
The future looks bleak for Washington Black, for what does an 11-year-old slave on a Barbados sugar plantation have to look forward to but a shortened lifetime of toil and abuse at the hands of his sadistic master? Wash is terrified when he is called to serve dinner to the master’s brother, but the summons is a miracle in disguise, for Christopher “Titch” Wilde chooses the lad to serve as his own manservant. Even better, Titch is an inventor and naturalist, and Wash proves to be a talented illustrator of Wilde’s studies. When Wash is accused of a man’s death, Titch takes him on a storm-blown ride on an experimental hot air balloon, and they escape above the raging Caribbean waves.
Wash’s adventures have only begun in Esi Edugyan’s historical novel, Washington Black. Ms. Edugyan takes readers on a wild ride from Virginia’s Underground Railroad to the Arctic ice cap, to London’s fledgling aquariums, and onward, and she proves as inventive as Titch Wilde, and as talented as young Wash. Washington Black is a clever and inventive tale of personal growth, and a quest for freedom and fulfillment.
I thoroughly enjoyed Washington Black, especially Ms. Edugyan’s luminous scenes. If this novel is typical of her handiwork, it’s easy to understand why her previous two novels have been award-winners. I recommend Washington Black to all.
