Blonde Roots

British novelist Evaristo delivers an astonishing, uncomfortable and beautiful alternative history that goes back several centuries to flip the slave trade, with “Aphrikans” enslaving the people of “Europa” and exporting many of them to “Amarika.” The plot revolves around Doris, the daughter of a long line of proud cabbage farmers who live in serfdom. After she’s kidnapped by slavers, she experiences the horror and inhumanity of slave transport, is sold and works her way back to freedom. The narrative cuts back and forth through time, contrasting the journey to freedom with the journey toward slavery. In a less skilled writer’s hands, the premise easily could have worn itself out by the second chapter, but Evaristo’s intellectually rigorous narrative constantly surprises, and, for all the barbarism on display, it’s strikingly human. Evaristo’s novel is a powerful, thoughtful reminder that diabolical behavior can take place in any culture, “safety” is an illusion and freedom is something easily taken for granted. This difficult and provocative book is a conversation sparker. (Jan.)