She Would Be King

In the west African village of Lai, red-haired Gbessa is cursed at birth and exiled on suspicion of being a witch. Bitten by a viper and left for dead, she survives to discover a new life with a group of African American settlers in the colony of Monrovia.

Then Gbessa meets two extraordinary others; June Dey – a man of unusual strength, born into slavery on a plantation in Virginia – and Norman Aragon, the child of a white British coloniser and a Maroon slave from the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, who can fade from sight at will.

Soon all three realise that they are cursed – or perhaps, uniquely gifted. Together they protect the weak and vulnerable, but only Gbessa can salvage the tense relationship between the settlers and the indigenous tribes.

In her transcendent debut, Wayétu Moore illuminates the tumultuous roots of Liberia, blending history and magical realism in a profound tale of resistance and humanity.

In satul Lai din vestul Africii, Gbessa cu parul rosu este blestemata la nastere si exilata, fiind suspectata ca este o vrajitoare. Muscata de o vipera si lasata moarta, ea supravietuieste pentru a descoperi o noua viata alaturi de un grup de colonisti afro-americani din colonia Monrovia. Apoi Gbessa intalneste alti doi extraordinari; June Dey - un om cu o forta neobisnuita, nascut in sclavie pe o plantatie din Virginia - si Norman Aragon, copilul unui colonizator britanic alb si al unui sclav maron din Muntii Albastri din Jamaica, care se poate estompa din vedere la dorinta. trei isi dau seama ca sunt blestemati - sau poate, inzestrati in mod unic.