The concept of an ‘imagined biography’ is a new one on me, so I was interested to see how this would work, alllowing a real-life historical person to tell his story as if he had written a biography.
Our lead character is Ayuba Suleiman Diallo, a Muslim cleric and trader of slaves in Senegambia, Africa, in the early 18th century. The tale begins with his privileged life as part of a family of traders, before he is captured as a slave and transported in horrific conditions to a slave plantation in Maryland, USA. Incredibly, Ayuba is able to escape and make his way to London, where we experience through his eyes what it was like to see the city in the early 1800s.
The imagined biography concept actually works well for this character, some of whose decisions would be difficult to reconcile when seen through modern eyes; for example, after being freed as a slave, Ayuba then turns back to the slave trade and continues to traffic people, despite his own horrific experiences.
An Uncommon Slave is an interesting read and I particularly enjoyed the different geographical settings; it is difficult to understand how long and arduous journeys were in these times, and the scenes where Ayuba sees London for the first time are extremely thought-provoking, particularly for anyone whose ancestors might have lived in the city in these times.