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A review by vorpalblad
The Moor's Account by Laila Lalami
5.0
In 1527 the Narvaez expedition, numbering about 600, left Spain to explore and settle "La Florida" in the new world. In 1536 the four survivors of the expedition walked into Mexico City. One of these survivors, Cabeza de Vaca, would write about the journey, leaving this single line about the one enslaved, non-Spaniard to survive: "The fourth [survivor] is Estevanico, an Arab Negro from Azamor." And it is from this single line that Lalami imagines an entire fictionalized history for this little remembered explorer.
The Moor's Account is a gripping tale of adventure, and stupidity. Narvaez's group met with ill-luck in the form of storms and desertions, but many of the troubles they brought on themselves through mismanagement and poor judgement. If we didn't have the history to compare it to, it would seem almost unbelievable that Narvaez would make so many disastrous decisions. Once Estebanico and the few survivors finally integrate with the native people, the story becomes one of the shifting alliances and views of the men, where Estebanico is no longer treated as a slave, but as an equal, while on their return to the Spanish outpost, he finds himself once again relegated to his former position.
The story took me a few chapters to get into, but once it started moving, the plot was interesting and well-paced, and the shifting relationships of the characters were fascinating. I would highly recommend if you are a fan of historical fiction or adventure stories in general.
The Moor's Account is a gripping tale of adventure, and stupidity. Narvaez's group met with ill-luck in the form of storms and desertions, but many of the troubles they brought on themselves through mismanagement and poor judgement. If we didn't have the history to compare it to, it would seem almost unbelievable that Narvaez would make so many disastrous decisions. Once Estebanico and the few survivors finally integrate with the native people, the story becomes one of the shifting alliances and views of the men, where Estebanico is no longer treated as a slave, but as an equal, while on their return to the Spanish outpost, he finds himself once again relegated to his former position.
The story took me a few chapters to get into, but once it started moving, the plot was interesting and well-paced, and the shifting relationships of the characters were fascinating. I would highly recommend if you are a fan of historical fiction or adventure stories in general.