“Fengbe, keh kamba beh. Fengbe, kemu beh.” We have nothing but we have God. We have nothing but we have each other.”

She Would Be King is a creative retelling of the story of the founding of Liberia, rich in magical realism. Author Wayétu Moore was born in Liberia and is of mixed Vai, Gola and Americo-Liberian ancestry. When she was five years old, Moore's family fled their home in Monrovia to escape civil war. Her mother was studying at Columbia University, and did not know what had happened to her family so she flew to Sierra Leone, where she eventually found a female fighter who was able to locate the rest of the family and bring them across the border. Subsequently, the Moore family moved to Houston, Texas, where young Wayétu began to write, to "overcome the trauma [she] experienced during the war." She Would Be King (2018) is her debut novel.

I read this book as part of my read around the world challenge so I like to look up a few details about countries I am less familiar with. Liberia is a country on the West African coast which was founded in 1821 as a movement by the American Colonization Society to create a free country for freed African American slaves. More than 15,000 freed and ex-slaves were relocated there between 1822 and 1861, as well as over 3,000 Afro-Caribbeans. Liberia declared its independence in 1847, being the first African republic to do so. Americo-Liberians became the ruling elite and did not relate well to indigenous Africans, who ironically were excluded from birthright citizenship in their own land until 1904. In 1980 a military coup ended the Americo-Liberian rule, and was followed by decades of unrest culminating in the First and Second Liberian Civil Wars which killed over quarter of a million people. The Ebola virus outbreak of 2013-2015 caused further loss of life. Currently more than 99% of Liberia’s population live on less than $10 per day.

This novel cleverly uses three stories, one from each of Liberia’s founding strands: Gbessa an indigenous Vai woman, June Dey a former slave from Virginia and Norman Aragon an Afro-Caribbean from Jamaica, son of an Englishman and a Maroon slave. Gbessa is rejected by her village as a witch, due to being born on the day a cursed woman dies. She is forced to flee to the forest to die, but instead survives. June Dey escapes the hardships of plantation life to discover he has an extraordinary strength. Norman inherits his mother’s magical ability to blend with her surrounds and vanish. I found Gbessa’s new life in the settlement of Monrovia intriguing as it highlights the way the Americo-Liberians created a new elite and tried to impose their language, ways and Christian religion onto the indigenous peoples. I liked Gbessa’s character. I had mixed feelings about the magical realism. The superpowers felt natural enough during the backstories but became a little cartoonish when the three met up in Liberia. The ending felt somewhat rushed to me. Overall I found this an illuminating and interesting read with a very enjoyable audio narration by the author. 4.5 stars ( )

This historical retelling of the birth of Liberia and it’s complicated connection with the U.S. will draw you in. Skipping back and forth between Virginia, Jamaica, and West Africa. Between Gbessa born in the village of Lai who was cursed at birth, June Dey a slave with supernatural strength, and Norman Aragon son of a British colonizer and a Maroon slave who can become invisible. “She Would Be King” is a beautifully woven tapestry layered with history, mythology, and magic. ( )

This fictional origin story for the nation of Liberia brings together three characters with unique talents. Gbessa, born with red hair in the West African village of Lai, is considered to be cursed and ostracized. June Dey is born into slavery in Virginia under miraculous circumstances and develops superhuman strength. Norman Aragon is the child of an enslaved woman and a white British slaveholder who gains an ability to fade from sight. All three end up in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia founded by the American Colonization Society to resettle freed Black people. The summary makes it sound like a comic book superhero team, but the book is more nuanced than that. The book works well as an examination of the ongoing trauma of slavery, Liberia's intricate ties with the United States, and the interaction of the American Blacks with the indigenous people of that part of Africa. ( )

2.75 stars

I really thought I would LOVE this book. I adore historical fiction and have been making it a point to branch out from Regency era titles. This seemed like it would tick all of the boxes for me, but the story was hard to follow. There are also too many trigger warnings to keep count.

I am not usually drawn to magical realism, so it's hard to say if I don't like the genre or just didn't enjoy it in this writing. There were parts that I did enjoy- mainly Gbessa's transformation as she grew into a more confident and secure person. The synopsis makes it sound like Gbessa, Norman and June's stories would unite once their back stories were told, so I was a bit disappointed at the structure of the story after Book One.

I think the reason I feel so confused by the book is that there is SO much information given- so many sub plots for each character that ended up being rather irrelevant once they met each other. It felt like too much and also not enough because of the way it ended. I don't know- I think this read will stick with me, but in a frustrating way... ( )

Great premise and intriguing characters. The writing was a little weak in some places. It illuminated some history I did not know anything about. The slipstream nature worked -- the combination of realism and fantasy was well done and appropriate. ( )