Overview
"Wayétu Moore is an inspiration . . . her book is a gift" Imbolo Mbue
"The book is unforgettable . . . irresistibly evocative and fierce. She Would Be King is a masterfully wrought alternate history of magical black resistance" Star Tribune
"This novel dazzles with beauty and transcendent, transformative humanity" Sarah Jessica Parker
In the west African village of Lai, red-haired Gbessa is cursed at birth and exiled on suspicion of being a witch. Bitten by a viper and left for dead, she survives to discover a new life with a group of African American settlers in the colony of Monrovia.
Then Gbessa meets two extraordinary others; June Dey - a man of unusual strength, born into slavery on a plantation in Virginia - and Norman Aragon, the child of a white British coloniser and a Maroon slave from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, who can fade from sight at will.
Soon all three realise that they are cursed - or perhaps, uniquely gifted. Together they protect the weak and vulnerable, but only Gbessa can salvage the tense relationship between the settlers and the indigenous tribes.
>In her transcendent debut, Wayétu Moore illuminates the tumultuous roots of Liberia, blending history and magical realism in a profound tale of resistance and humanity.
- | Author: Wayetu Moore
- | Publisher: Pushkin Press
- | Publication Date: Apr 02, 2020
- | Number of Pages:
- | Language: eng
- | Binding: Paperback / softback
- | ISBN-13: 9781911590132
- | ISBN-10: 1911590138
