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Washington Black
I've somehow managed to read twelve books this month!
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan was another from my recent charity shop haul. It's the story of a young slave boy on a sugar plantation in the West Indies in the early 1800s, who is chosen to be the assistant of a scientist, the brother of the plantation owner, while he is staying there. Circumstances force them to flee the island in a form of hot air balloon, and Washington then has various adventures in his quest to find a place in the world where he can be safe and lead a meaningful life.
It's very grim in places and quite odd in others. It feels like very much a book of two halves - the plantation and the relationship with Titch, and then the wandering and the discovery of a new life in marine zoology. It rather loses tension somewhere in the middle, but remains involving throughout. I loved the development of Wash's relationship with Tanna in the second half, though there was subsequently quite a lot of exposition, a few rather convenient coincidences and the eventual ending was rather nebulous.
I discovered just before I started reading the book that it's being made into a TV series - though I don't think I want to see the events on screen, as there's quite a lot of graphic violence and gore. I enjoyed the book overall, though, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan was another from my recent charity shop haul. It's the story of a young slave boy on a sugar plantation in the West Indies in the early 1800s, who is chosen to be the assistant of a scientist, the brother of the plantation owner, while he is staying there. Circumstances force them to flee the island in a form of hot air balloon, and Washington then has various adventures in his quest to find a place in the world where he can be safe and lead a meaningful life.
It's very grim in places and quite odd in others. It feels like very much a book of two halves - the plantation and the relationship with Titch, and then the wandering and the discovery of a new life in marine zoology. It rather loses tension somewhere in the middle, but remains involving throughout. I loved the development of Wash's relationship with Tanna in the second half, though there was subsequently quite a lot of exposition, a few rather convenient coincidences and the eventual ending was rather nebulous.
I discovered just before I started reading the book that it's being made into a TV series - though I don't think I want to see the events on screen, as there's quite a lot of graphic violence and gore. I enjoyed the book overall, though, and I'm glad I got the chance to read it.