Washington Black

Washington Black is the third novel by Canadian author Esi Edugyan. The novel was published in 2018 by HarperCollins in Canada and by Knopf Publishers internationally. A bildungsroman, the story follows the early life of George Washington "Wash" Black, chronicling his escape from slavery and his subsequent adventures. The novel won the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Summary George Washington "Wash" Black is born into slavery on Barbados. He is raised by Big Kit, another slave. When Wash is eleven, the owner of the plantation dies and the plantation is turned over to his nephew, the extraordinarily cruel Erasmus Wilde. Wash's life continues on much as it did before, until he and Big Kit are called to serve in the big house. There he meets Wilde's younger brother, Christopher "Titch" Wilde, a scientist, who enlists Wash as his manservant. Titch teaches Wash to read and cook and, after noticing he is a prodigious artist, allows him to focus on drawing. Titch and Erasmus are later joined by their cousin Philip. Philip eventually reveals to Erasmus and Titch that their father has died, leading Erasmus to hatch a plan to move back to return home for a few years, leaving Titch in charge. He furthermore refuses to sell Wash to Titch, having become aware both of how close they are and of Wash's artistic talents. While arrangements are still being made, Philip commits suicide in front of Wash. When Wash informs Titch of the death of his cousin, he realizes that Erasmus will murder Wash in retaliation for Philip's death. To save Wash, the two escape in Titch's balloon but, due to a sudden storm over the sea, Titch crash-lands onto a merchantman. There they meet the captain Bendikt Kinast and his brother, the ship's doctor Theo Kinast. Though the brothers guess that Wash is a runaway slave, they nevertheless decide to take the pair to Virginia. In Virginia, Titch learns that his brother has hired a bounty hunter to capture Wash, a Mr. Willard. While there they also meet up with a penpal of Titch's named Edward Farrow, who is an abolitionist. While at Farrow's Titch also learns that his father may still be alive, prompting him to decide to go to the Arctic to see him. Farrow and Titch offer Wash the opportunity to escape to Upper Canada where former slaves are able to live in freedom, but Wash declines.