Esi Edugyan

Another one of the many recent (and not so recent) slave escape to freedom novels (see recent post on forthcoming novel by T Coates) is Canadian author Esi Esugyan's well- received 2018 novel, Washington Black. Each of these stories has and needs its own slant, and what sets apart EE's novel is its setting - the eponymous narrator's escape is from a sugar plantation in the Barbados- and its narrative mode: the escape, in 1830, is obviously not about the Underground Railroad that figures prominently in many other escape narratives. In this case the agent of escape - at least as it appears from the first 35 pp or so - is the brother of the sadistic plantation owner. This man, known as Tick, wants no part in running the slave-dependent plantation; he's a would be scientist/inventor w dreams of building a "flying machine." Recognizing the intelligence and spirit of the young Wash, he takes the young man on as his manservant. Altho wash's main protector on the plantation expects the worst (w good reason), that Tick will abuse Wash sexually, it appears that Tick is a good man and that his protection will be what leads Wash into freedom. The narrative has the sense of an older man looking back on his youth, so at this point there is no indication of what Wash has done w his life - but it does seem that there will be many adventures and that overall this will be a Bildungsroman in the tradition of Fielding and Dickens: a young man of humble at best origins who learns from experience, achieves some social status or recognition unforeseeable at first, and reflects back on his life.


Sent from my iPhone