A review by katiepeach
She Would Be King by Wayétu Moore

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“The girl with the biggest gift of us all. Life. If she was not a girl or if she was not a woman; if she was not a woman or if she was not a witch, she would be king.” 
 
I spent all day yesterday reading this book. And, wow, it’s incredible. I started this last year, but in my struggle to focus on anything, couldn’t finish. I’m wishing I had finished it sooner! The writing is so, so good and the story is captivating! If you love literary fiction and/or magical realism and history, definitely pick this one up right now. 
 
She Would Be King is a magical realism novel about Liberia’s beginning. Moore intertwines the story of a boy raised as a slave in the United States, a boy who is the son of a slave and a British man from Jamaica, and a girl from West Africa to tell the story of Liberia. In the 1800s, Blacks from the United States and the Caribbean began to settle in Liberia and create a country of their own. However, there were already people living there, which understandably created tensions between the indigenous population and the settlers. I won’t go into too much detail about the history, because I think this novel explains it beautifully and better than I ever could, and it is a key part of the storyline. 
 
The three main characters—Gbessa, June Day, and Norman—have separate journeys to Monrovia, but eventually meet. All three have special powers that eventually play a role in the formation of Liberia and the protection of the new country from colonial powers. 
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