She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore

She Would Be King

Wayétu Moore

Think of it like this - the Fantastic Four take on the slave traders. A witch, a spirit, a man who can disappear and a man who cannot be harmed by weapons do battle with slave traders in the newly independent Liberia. These four are brought together in a stunning narrative of extraordinary power. It is like The Famished Road on steroids.

Extract
The sunlight woke him the following morning. It leaked through the cell window, falling directly onto his face so that he squinted the moment he opened his eyes. His muscles were stiff from lying on the bare floor, so he sat up slowly and stretched them. A door opened at the end of the jailhouse doorway and Norman hurried to stand near the bars.
'Are you sure?' a voice asked, drawing closer to him.
'Yes, there will be more than enough room. It's only one man,' another answered. Their footsteps approached.
Parallels
  • The Famished Road by Ben Okri
  • An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma
  • Black Moses by Alain Mabanckou