A review by andrew_j_r
Blonde Roots by Bernardine Evaristo

5.0

This is a book that I heard of through the Simon Mayo Radio 5 Live book review show that is released as a podcast, and it sounded intriguing: a role reversal book set on an Earth where the Africans became the slave traders and the Europeans the slaves. The narrative jumps about all over the place – the first third of the book tells the story of Doris, a slave for a major slave trader, Chief Kaga Konata Katamba, and her escape attempt, whilst being interspersed with flashbacks that tell the story of her capture. The second part is the story of Chief Kaga Konata Katamba’s life, how he got into slaving, and ends roughly about the same time Doris is kidnapped. The final part is how the escape attempt by Doris fails, and how she ends up on a plantation.

It is an awesome book. The characters are very rich, and the violence in the story is utterly brutal, whilst not being dwelled upon – a less is more approach which makes it seem all the more real. It is quite short, but brilliant.