Washington Black

by Esi Edugyan
This is in many ways a tall yarn in the style of Peter Carey and I loved it.
It tells the story of a slave called George Washington Black and the brother of a cruel slave owner. His nickname is Titch and he is a mad inventor who takes Washington on board, releasing him from the ever close cruelty inflicted on his fellow slaves. Trying to get a flying machine to work they have a number of adventures and following a tragic suicide both Titch and Wash make a dramatic escape taking the across America to the Arctic and eventually to Europe and Africa.
Beneath the adventure there is the pain of finding a place of belonging and home and self worth. It is the best booker nominee I have read so far this year 9/10