My book of the year

Lawrence Hill’s novel The Book of Negroes is his fourth novel and the winner of the 2008 Commonwealth Writer’s prize. Predominantly set in Africa, Hill takes us through a heartfelt physical, emotional and mental journey of a young girl’s horrifying life experience of the African slave trade in the 18^th century. The book opens in 1802 with the protagonist beginning her tremendous story of freedom to slavery and back again. Aminata Dallio’s remarkable voice tells the story of what happened between 1745 in West Africa and the present day. Hill, influenced by his parents' human rights work explores in his writing themes related to identity and belonging.

The title of the book comes from the historical document of the same name that was kept by British naval officers in 1783 near the end of the American revolutionary war. The book was the only means of escape for over 3,000 black slaves who were considered loyalists and had worked for the King. If your name was not in the book, you were not able to flee Manhattan to Canada in 1783. Aminata was recruited to write the names into the book as she could understand the Africans and had the added benefit of being able to read and write English.

In America, Australia and Canada the book was ironically released under the title Somebody Knows My Name, which does not resonate with the novel as strongly as the original title. The novel is about names and identity being changed across the British colonies, which ironically is still happening as the novel cannot keep its original title. However, Aminata relies on the fact that if somebody knows her name, she exists,  yet the original title has much more impact and should not be offence as it was a real and very important document that should not be forgotten. Hill includes a copy of a few pages of the actual Book of Negroes at the end of the novel, which really reminds the reader this story is based on real events firmly placed in history.

Hill’s protagonist Aminata Diallo narrates her story in retrospective first person and is immediately likeable. She speaks wisely even as the 11 year old child she is when we meet her. Her tribe and family teach her the ways of the world and her mother delivers babies, which ultimately becomes one of the very skills that keeps Aminata alive and valuable to others throughout her life. Her skill of bringing life into the world saves her life many times.

Aminata is stolen from her village, family and tribe and separated from them all and forced endure the horrific walk hundreds of miles for three months to the huge wide open expanse of the sea in a coffle. For the first time in her life, she is humiliated, stripped, branded and worst of all, alone. Her father’s Muslim religion and tongue helps her survive and understand her captor’s language and forms a special bond with the boy who is tricked into helping the captors.

The realism that is brought to the attention of the reader whilst on the slave ship is almost unbearable. Hill paints a wholly descriptive picture of ‘life’ below deck. It is an amazing victory that Aminata is even alive, albeit weak, ill and practically near death. The lucky ones died; Aminata must live on to tell her story.

Aminata travels one last time to London to spend her last days telling her story with the hope that her life written in words, which she has learnt is so important, may lead to the abolishment of the slave trade. This story strongly echoes that of Olaudah Equiano who was a real man and documented his experience of the slave trade and is one of, if not the earliest, slave narrative. This brought fame and fortune to Equiano and eventually helped British abolonists bring an end to the slave trade in 1807.

There are major parallels between Equiano and Aminata’s story. Both are sold into slavery by fellow Africans, follow the middle passage, enslaved to work in Southern American states, sold to another master who teaches them to read and then are finally lured to the promise of a better life back in the home land, which does not work out.

The first half of Aminata’s story can be so strongly believed, not only by the parallels its draws to Equiano and the basis being a historical document, but it is obvious that he has dedicated so much time into researching the slave trade and depicts it so accurately. He uses many notes showing evidence of further reading and acknowledgements. This, along with Hill’s superb writing skills make this one of the most successful slave narratives.  

However, there are parts of the story from Nova Scotia onwards that let the novel down slight as they seem slightly inconceivable. Aminata’s near re-capture by the men who claim to take her back to her home town does not sit easy and is brief and uncomfortable to read. The consistent meetings between Aminata and her husband at times seem unbelievable. Hill also keeps Aminata’s pain emotional and not physical. She is only raped and beaten once, and due to her being a child when first captured, she remains relatively safe. Hill does appear to steer away from causing Aminata physical pain and consistently reminds us of her extraordinary beauty. Overall, the story captures you and brings you into a fascinating and depressing world full of suffering and one woman’s amazing survival.

Aminata’s attempt to return to her homeland after all she has endured is more than heart wrenching. After enduring the ship journey once more, albeit not in the same circumstances, but with the same notions and sights, she is left deflated as after so much time and the destruction of her village, she finds no one knows the name of it and it obviously ceased to exist the day everyone was stolen. She instead settles in Sierra Leon and is neither accepted as an African as she was born or as a white woman. She is forever left to live in a social limbo that no matter where in the world she is, she cannot escape.

I can’t help but say this is one of the best books I have read this year, and now one of my favourite books that I have recommended to everyone I know who loves reading.