Just the cover of these book made me immediately want to pick it up, the strong contrast between white and black in the picture really caught my eye. Then, having read the blurb, I wanted to read the book even more because it struck me as ingenious and very brave.

Blonde Roots follows the story of Doris, captured from her homeland, Cabbage Coast, England, Europa, and sold into slavery in the UK of Great Ambossa. We hear about her life, from the moment when she was kidnapped when playing hide and seek with her sisters, age 10, to her current dire predicament in Aphrika, aged 30-something.

Evaristo turns the transatlantic slave trade completely on its head, cleverly exploiting the past into a story which is bound to make you think. In this version of history, the Africans rule over their European slaves, Londolo is the capital of Aphrika and the middle passage runs from Europa to The West Japanese Islands.

Doris' narrative is sometimes pithy and witty, occasionally infuriated, but always miserable, and the casual way which horrific events are relayed will make your heart ache. You can't help but feel for the characters and each page will make you want to turn the next one.

However, I found the middle section, narrated by Doris' terrible master to be an unnecessary lull which made me stumble over the story, but all was forgiven when I read on!

I wouldn't recommend this book to very sensitive readers because it is quite hard-going, but I would tell everyone else to read it. Overall I found Blonde Roots to be a highly courageous, successful novel, of moments which will make you cry, make you yell, and sometimes, make you laugh.

(Make sure you check out the map at the front of the book, it's easily missed)