claryreadsbooks 's review for:

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
4.5
adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
Edugyan's story resists strict binaries. Every relationship Wash has, every beat of the story is built from contrast and contradiction. Titch treated Wash like family, but the only family Titch knew was a trainwreck in motion and it showed in how he left Wash. Kit loved him fiercely, and also broke his ribs. Tanna loves him, and can't quite understand him. Tanna's father respects him, but he won't give Wash credit for Ocean House and he doesn't want Wash to marry his daughter. Its compelling and it's frustrating. Is the ending satisfying? I don't know, and I don't think I'm meant to. But good god, what a journey. 
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