Review: Washington Black by Esi Eduygan

Wash knows nothing of the world beyond the borders of Faith. A slave on the ironically named plantation in Barbados, his life has been a series of abuses, both experienced and witnessed. Among the dark dirt and tall sugar cane, and under the careful yet heavy hands of Big Kit, Wash manages to survive his first decade on the plantation. Through keeping his head low and his back bent, Wash works his way through a world no bigger than his immediate surroundings. Despite his best efforts and Kit’s protection, Wash is not invisible to the plantation owner, and following a summons to the manor house, his world changes irrevocably.

Christopher ‘Titch’ Wild, brother to the young boy’s slave master, seeks to recruit Wash into his service – not for field work, but in science. Titch seeks to make real his Cloud Cutter, an immense flying machine and gravitational feat, but for that he needs a body small enough to not disrupt the careful balance that could cause the project to fail. For this, he needs Washington Black.

Told from the protagonist’s perspective, there is an enormous evolution both of narrative and of the form in which it is presented. Wash’s fear and sheer wonder are initially hesitantly expressed; an illiterate boy who has spent his life as a slave has no need for eloquent speeches and insights; instead, he relays the world as he sees it; chaotic, disorganized, and limited to his sphere of experience. The delicate and yet powerful growth of this young boy is reflected through his understanding of the world, and thus is narration of it. Edugyan has encompassed an entire life into her narrative, and it is remarkable and beautiful. Through Wash’s eyes, we see the world anew, in all its gore and glory. 

To describe Washington Black as anything less than poetry is to do Eduygan a massive disservice. This book is a carefully arranged and incredibly moving ode to the suffering of others, and the redemptive powers of growth, compassion, and change. The brutality of the character’s lives in a time of immense cruelty is countered and somewhat tamed by an injection of fantasy and wonder that makes Wash’s story not just palatable, but memorable. Through amazing skill and creativity, Esi Edugyan presents the reader with a unique opportunity; to read of horrors beyond imagining as the foundation of something beautiful and truly mesmerizing.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan is published by Serpent’s Tail, an imprint of Profile Books, and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.