Esi Edugyan’s 2018 novel Washington Black is an unorthodox, steampunk-infused account of the era when transatlantic slavery cast a dark shadow over much of the world. Its hero is George Washington Black – or Wash for short – a Black boy of 11, growing up on a Barbados plantation. He becomes the protege of a well-meaning white scientist, Titch (who happens to be the brother of Wash’s merciless master, Erasmus). Together they work on crafting the “Cloud Cutter”, an experimental airship that offers them an escape from the plantation when Wash is accused of murder – but which crashes over the Atlantic during a storm. Spoiler alert: the pair make it out of that episode alive, with Wash fleeing to Virginia, and later Canada.
A Guardian review described scenes from the novel as “[unfolding] with a Tarantino-esque savagery”, and the book doesn’t shy away from graphic depictions of violence and suicide, nor frequent use of the N-word. It is also described as having a “fairytale atmosphere” – something the Disney-owned Hulu homed in on above all else. As a TV series, Washington Black feels less like a grownup drama and more like the sort of quasi-historical show that teachers play to their pupils as an end-of-term treat.
