Washington Black by Esi Edugyan

Eleven year old Washington Black is a slave on a sugar plantation in Barbados. When his master’s eccentric, abolishionist brother, Titch, chooses Washington as his manservant, Wash is introduced to a world of science and wonder. When a man dies there is a bounty placed on Washington’s head and Titch risks everything to save him. They flee together but, eventually, Titch must make his own way and reinvent himself. This is a story about a man’s physical journey across sea and land and his intellectual journey from slavery to freedom. A magnificent read!