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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 nevertheless survives to discover new life with a group of African American settlers in the colony of Monrovia.
The 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 all 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.
About the author
Wayétu Moore is the founder of One Moore Book, an advocacy organization which encourages reading among children of countries with low literacy rates. She is a graduate of Howard University, Columbia University and the University of Southern California. Her debut novel, She Would Be King, described as "a modern epic", has been translated into multiple languages, and is also published by ONE. She lives in New York.
Summary
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 nevertheless survives to discover new life with a group of African American settlers in the colony of Monrovia.
There Gbessa meets two extraordinary others: June Dey - a man of unusual strength, and Norman Aragon, who can fade from sight at will.
Soon all three realise that they are all 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.
Foreword
Spectacular historical fiction reimagining the early years of Liberia through the linked stories of three supernatural characters
