She would be King

Author: Wayétu Moore 

Genre: Historical fiction, magical realism

Original publication date: September 2018

book description: She Would Be King, reimagines the dramatic story of Liberia’s early years through three unforgettable characters who share an uncommon bond. Gbessa, exiled from the West African village of Lai, is starved, bitten by a viper, and left for dead, but still she survives. June Dey, raised on a plantation in Virginia, hides his unusual strength until a confrontation with the overseer forces him to flee. Norman Aragon, the child of a white British colonizer and a Maroon slave from Jamaica, can fade from sight when the earth calls him. When the three meet in the settlement of Monrovia, their gifts help them salvage the tense relationship between the African American settlers and the indigenous tribes, as a new nation forms around them.

Thoughts:

We start getting introduced to each of the main characters. They all have a very different life and experiences on their homelands. 

We see family issues, discrimination, oppression in several ways and other situations that might be uncomfortable for some people. 

The natives in Liberia are very superstitious in some aspects they are right to believe there are people with different abilities as mentioned in the description some people have abilities beyond what the majority of the people but considering it curses instead of trying to see the possible advantages of having people with abilities on their community.

The three main characters have abilities they can't explain and they must decide if showing their true selves is worth it. 

Their path merges in Liberia, but the distrust especially from Gbessa makes it difficult for them to actually form a tight group. 

In the end, I enjoyed more Gbessa's story than the other to, it felt more woven together in a very nice way. We see her grow, mature, and learn how to accept others. Yet her life gets thrown upside down when she is faced with the tribe she left behind and her new life in society. 

It gives a great commentary on the fact that you cannot run from your past, your roots always catch up to you.

This story has a bit of everything, we have friendships, slave trades, fight for land from the natives and coloners, fight for freedom of their country, a few romantic relationships, not the best but they are here nonetheless. 

I was at a loss, it starts with an introduction to the main characters, and how they meet and that part seems to drag a lot but after you are more invested it is a very enjoyable read.