She Would Be King

By Wayétu Moore

Book Overview

A novel of exhilarating range, magical realism, and history--a dazzling retelling of Liberia's formation

Way tu Moore's powerful debut novel, She Would Be King, reimagines the dramatic story of Liberia's early years through three unforgettable characters who share an uncommon bond. Gbessa, exiled from the West African village of Lai, is starved, bitten by a viper, and left for dead, but still she survives. June Dey, raised on a plantation in Virginia, hides his unusual strength until a confrontation with the overseer forces him to flee. Norman Aragon, the child of a white British colonizer and a Maroon slave from Jamaica, can fade from sight when the earth calls him. When the three meet in the settlement of Monrovia, their gifts help them salvage the tense relationship between the African American settlers and the indigenous tribes, as a new nation forms around them.

Moore's intermingling of history and magical realism finds voice not just in these three characters but also in the fleeting spirit of the wind, who embodies an ancient wisdom. "If she was not a woman," the wind says of Gbessa, "she would be king." In this vibrant story of the African diaspora, Moore, a talented storyteller and a daring writer, illuminates with radiant and exacting prose the tumultuous roots of a country inextricably bound to the United States. She Would Be King is a novel of profound depth set against a vast canvas and a transcendent debut from a major new author.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1555978177
• ISBN13: 9781555978174
• Release Date: September 2018
• Publisher: Graywolf Press
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

A masterpiece and a new favorite for me

I am always happy to find a good piece of magical realism, but one also based on overlooked history is a rare gem! The theme of outsiderism, loss, and motherhood are repeated in heartbreakingly beautiful ways throughout. The literary device Moore chose to sew the stories together was at once ephemeral and ineffable, yet as real as the changing weather. Her story swept me off my feet and had me twirling, running, dancing, and yes, weeping to the last word. And as the final scene came to a close, I was left with the feeling that a fierce spirit had just whisked past me, leaving a trail of dust, fluttering hair and a story that is just grande enough to hold the birth of a nation and yet dear enough to break your heart a little bit. It is the kind of mystical, heartbreaking, and inspiring heroic story I believe that oppressed people deserve to read, and I wish there were more of! I loved it so much.