Washington Black by Esi Edugyan: April's Monthly Spotlight

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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