Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Washington Black reads like a Dickensian novel with its intriguing and varied cast of characters and the unexpected adventures that the protagonist finds himself undertaking. The protagonist’s narration is as educated and articulate as that of David Copperfield’s. The difference between Esi Edugyan’s novel and anything written by Dickens is that the protagonist in Washington Black is a young Black man who was born a slave and who cannot escape racism even when he is freed from slavery. I found Washington Black to be an engaging and enjoyable read, despite its dark subject matter, until the very abrupt and completely unsatisfying ending.
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