Washington Black

by Esi Edugyan
This book just made the shortlist for the Mann Booker this year and the longlist for the Giller Prize.

I have to say I wonder why?  It was okay but I didn't find it all that engaging or special.

It is the story of a slave, Washington Black, in Barbados.  When the story starts he is about 6 years old and is already being worked hard on the plantation.  He is being looked after by a woman called Big Kit.

One day the brother of the Plantation owner arrives and takes Wash on as his valet, cook and to assist him with his scientific enquiries including plans for building a hot air balloon.  The boys life is a lot easier in this role than it was before. 

The cousin of the two brothers arrives to tell them that he has come from England to tell them that their father has died in the Arctic where he was conducting scientific experiments.  The youngest brother is very upset by this.  One day the cousin and Wash are with the youngest brother as he is doing a test on his balloon.  The cousin asks Wash to fetch some sandwich's near the balloon.  There is an explosion and Wash's face is badly burned.

Shortly after this the cousin kills himself and the younger brother feels that Wash will be accused of murder (why???).  He takes Wash with him and they head off in the balloon crashing on a ship in the ocean during the storm.  The storm takes them to New England where the brother tells Wash that he could get to freedom via the underground railroad.  Wash says he wants to stay with him.  They find a poster announcing a bounty on Wash's head so they leave quicky for the arctic where they find out that the Father is not dead after all.  One day the younger brother walks off in the snow and despite searches he is not found again.  It is assumed that he perished.

Wash doesn't know what to do but sticks around until the father dies.  He then heads to Nova Scotia where he makes a living doing odd jobs. He meets a young lady, an aspiring artist and her scientist father who sees Wash's artisitic talent and asks him to illustrate his next book.  Tish then encounters a bounty hunter who had been seeking him.  He is told that the older brother has died so he thinks he is free.  However the bounty hunter attacks him as Wash destroyed his reputation by getting away from him.  Wash stabs him in the face and escapes.

Wash suggests that the scientist collect live specimens to take back to England not just dead ones.  He starts figuring out a way to preserve them.... the start of an acquariaum design??  They leave for England and Wash goes to visit the Mother of the two brothers.  She tells him that her young son visited her two years ago so Wash knows he did not die. Wash learns that papers from the plantation have been brought to England.  He checks the registers and learns that the black woman who looked after him as a child was his mother and she has died.  He is shocked and relieved by this news. He eventually learns that the young brother has moved to Morocco.  He and the young woman, who has become his lover go to Morocco where they find the brother.

Wash has always wondered about who he was, what he was, was he of any value.  Learning of his mother fills in part of his identity.  He finds out that the young brother did like him, wasn't just using him.  He also finds out that the young brother carries a lot of guilt over the death of the cousin.  He an his brother had bullied the cousin.... perhaps this was why the cousin told them the lie about their father's death.

As the book ends Wash seems to have a sense of who he is and he plans to go back to England to insist he be recognized for his work designing the acquarium tanks, etc. 

It was an interesting tale, perhaps it seemed like a Forest Gump/too tall tale.  But obviously others think highly of it.

Quote from The Guardian
"This is, in fact, less a book about the effects of slavery and more about the burden, responsibility and the guilt of personal freedom in a time of slavery. “What does it feel like, Kit? Free?” Washington asks Big Kit, a female fellow slave who is, for a time, his protector.
She tells him that it is a matter of being able to “go wherever it is you wanting.” He heads towards this goal for free movement, experiencing both the privilege and the guilt from the gradations of freedom afforded him."