Esi Edugyan’s thrilling novel follows the astonishing adventures of its titular character, Washington Black, whose escape from the brutal cane plantations of Barbados was only the beginning. Shortlisted for the 2018 Booker Prize and set to be released as a glitzy television adaptation starring Sterling K Brown and co-produced by Edugyan later this year, what better excuse to dive into the novel?

In this episode Jo and James:

Introduce our April Monthly Spotlight pick
Share a brief biography of Esi Edugyan and her work to date
Summarise the novel
Discuss the plot and their thoughts
Suggest the kind of reader who will love the book

Reading list:

The Second Life of Samuel Tyne by Esi Edugyan
Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/half-blood-blues
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/washington-black
Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/the-amber-spyglass
Any Human Heart by William Boyd: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/any-human-heart
This Other Eden by Paul Harding: https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/this-other-eden

A full transcript of the episode is available at our website.

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Washington Black by Esi Edugyan: April's Monthly Spotlight