A review by rotorguy64
Oroonoko by Aphra Behn

2.0

Two and a half stars, but only because of the notes at the end of my edition. Those were very good, they included a love poem by Aphra Behn that was erotic in the best sense of the term, and an illuminating discussion on whether Oroonoko is historical or not. The highlight was an account by a slave trader, who said that color is only skin deep but still despised African culture, and who justified his decision not to cut the legs off of slaves to keep them from drowning themselves, they believing that the spirits of amputees would not return back to Africa upon death. It is surprisingly humane, but still shows how nasty the slave trade was, if cutting off legs to set an example was a valid tactic for at least some slavers.

The maintext, however, was weak. The titular hero was a perfectly clichéd noble savage who didn't need Christ to be a better person than anyone else, and yes, the book goes to some lengths to show that. The fights were dynamic, the action sometimes inspiring, but the characterization weak and the romance fell flat. There's also an assisted suicide and it's portrayed sympathetically, and as if that wasn't repulsive enough, the killed is Oroonokos own wife and she is pregnant with his child at the time.