Blonde Roots, Dark Highlights
By Imogen Ashfield / Spinebreakers Crew
Tall, blonde, slim and a slave: Doris Scagglethorpe faces the terrors of bondage in the New World – but not as we thought it to be.
Bernardine Evaristo's new novel instantly captivates ones imagination. The stark reversal of the transatlantic slave trade definitely provides a platform for discussion and debate in the literary sphere and beyond. However, it is not only this that holds the book together. Blonde Roots is initially captivating by the originality of the blurb synopsis but as the book transforms, it reveals a deeply emotional, informative and satirical comment on history and human nature.
The novel is set in a disorientating timeframe of past and present combined as it tries to deal with an incredibly complex time span of over 400 years of the transatlantic trade. This is emphasized by the often disjointed structure of the novel, perhaps influenced by the authors own poetic background. If you look past the, some would say, gimmicky altered place names such as 'Londolo' and 'Mayfar' the vivid and poetic accounts resonate with remnants of an emotional slave narrative of the past.
The protagonist, Doris suffers immensely and this book follows her life long journey in search for freedom; from capture to the middle passage, branding through to the selling platform, it continues to show the dismal existence of being shackled. The book is obviously well researched as it vividly captures many of the horrendous stages of slave trade, with certain sections narrated from the slave master's perspective.
By reversing the roles in her book and then adding a layer of satirical imagination she in some ways breaks down the race divide associated with the slave trade. Each reader can connect to the characters as she strips down to the core experience and emotion revealing a truly humanitarian story.
Throughout the text the author also wittily critiques elements of the backwardness of certain contemporary givens. For example, in the 'Vanilla Suburbs', nose flattening and tanning salons are widespread among the 'whyte' slaves in the book in order to fit in with the beauty ideals of their captures. This seems to subtly echo the shelves in the black beauty stores full of the European style straightened hair extensions or the hugely successful skin lightening industry in India. Behind each of Evaristo's subversive wit there is a deeper meaning. It's a multi-layered creative work.
All may not like Evaristo's sometimes unconvincing dramatic subversion of history or the layout of book's events, but it does provide a new canvas to work with in order to grab attention, spur debate and raise awareness of a crucial part of world history to a younger audience.