She Would Be King

"Wayétu Moore is an inspiration . . . her book is a gift" Imbolo Mbue

"The book is unforgettable . . . irresistibly evocative and fierce. She Would Be King is a masterfully wrought alternate history of magical black resistance" Star Tribune

"This novel dazzles with beauty and transcendent, transformative humanity" Sarah Jessica Parker

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.

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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.

'Blends magical realism and epic historical fiction' -- Independent Best New Debuts to Read in 2019

'This novel dazzles with beauty and transcendent, transformative humanity. Through the stories of Gbessa, June Dey, and Norman Aragon, Wayétu Moore illuminates what it means to be of and from places that are both faraway and inescapably familiar. I treasured every moment I spent in the pages of this book' -- Sarah Jessica Parker, Book Club Pick

'In this luminous debut, you'll find an original new voice, melding the magical and the mythic and forging something urgently of our moment' -- Alexandra Kleeman

'Wayétu Moore is an inspiration... her book is a gift' -- Imbolo Mbue

'Epic, beautiful, and magical, this astonishing first novel boldly announces the arrival of a remarkable novelist and storyteller' --Edwidge Danticat

'Moore's brand of magic realism is close kin to Beloved and The Underground Railroad... a tour de force that crescendos to its conclusion, reimagining the birth of Liberia in a way that is tender, humane and suffused with lyricism.' -- Sara Collins, Guardian

'This bold début novel uses magic realism to reimagine the founding of Liberia, during the early nineteenth century, through the lives of three supernaturally gifted people... The force and the symbolism of myth pervade Moore's engrossing tale' -- New Yorker

'Exhilarating... complete with unforgettable characters and a dynamic voice' -- Marie Claire

'Compelling... Like her remarkable protagonist Gbessa, the author has tapped into her own backstory - and emerged with literary superpowers' -- Time

'Connecting [all the characters] is a mysterious, omniscient spirit, who pushes them toward each other and their destination with gusts of wind. Reading She Would Be King is like being carried by that wind, too, and whisked into a darkly magical world' -- Buzzfeed, Best Fiction of 2018

'The book is unforgettable... irresistibly evocative and fierce. She Would Be King is a masterfully wrought alternate history of magical black resistance and should not be missed' -- Star Tribune

'Breathtaking... Wayétu Moore's magical realism can make anyone believe in how connected humans are to the world around them' -- Glamour

'Fans of Gabriel García Márquez will be intrigued by this debut novel' -- Harper's Bazaar

'Ambitious and expansive' -- New York Times

'In She Would Be King, debut novelist Wayétu Moore reimagines Liberia's past, building a world so clear and evocative you would swear you were in it' -- Buzzfeed

'Moore's debut unflinchingly depicts the convergence of brutal forces colonialism, the slave trade while brushing it with a glimmer of magic' -- HuffPost

'Moore's veers from fantasy to lush descriptions and sharp characterization, shedding light on the fleeting moment when the vast African diaspora reversed itself' -- Vulture

'Stunning... It is an epic narrative, weaving together themes of diasporic conflict, the legacy of bondage, isolation, and community, and it offers a transcendent, important look at the ways in which the past is never fully behind us, and instead echoes throughout everything we do' -- NYLON

'This dynamic novel leaves you both satisfied and full of anticipation for what s to come, in fiction and in reality' --The Rumpus

'An immediately gripping story... stunning' -- Pride Magazine

'Exhilarating and memorable' -- Culturefly

'The dialog is fluid and poetic, allowing readers to imagine the events, sights, smells, feelings, and sensations. As with Yaa Gyasi's Homegoing, this work will appeal to lovers of African, African American, and literary fiction' -- Library Journal (starred review)

'Moore is a brisk and skilled storyteller who weaves her protagonists' disparate stories together with aplomb yet is also able to render her sprawling cast of characters in ways that feel psychologically compelling... A sweeping and entertaining novel' -- Kirkus Reviews

'Impressive... Moore uses an accomplished, penetrating style - with clever swerves into fantasy - to build effective critiques of tribal misogyny, colonial abuse, and racism' --Publishers Weekly