![]() The character of Sir John Wedderburn is one of the strengths of Robertson’s novel. Particularly vicious is the death by slow-burning imposed on those leaders of the slave rebellion. The outrages depicted in “Joseph Knight” make those shown in Barry Unsworth’s “Sacred Hunger” seem gentle and humane by comparison. The section in Jamaica portrays the horrors inflicted on the African slaves – and it’s certainly no holds barred. He is joined by three other brothers who react with differing degrees of moral dissolution to the opportunities that present themselves. He makes his way to Jamaica where he becomes a plantation owner. The disastrous outcome means he must flee for his life. Wedderburn is “out”, meaning he is fighting with the Jacobites. The memories start in 1745 at the Battle of Culloden. The reason is unclear but throughout the search, Wedderburn reminisces on his life and how things came to pass. ![]() It is 1802 and Knight’s former owner, Sir John Wedderburn, is approaching the end of his life. Robertson uses that uncertainty to form the framework of his novel. Knight’s action was a milestone in Scottish legal history, yet very little is known of what happened to him after he was freed. The second book in my slavery themed read is James Robertson’s 2002 Saltire Book Award winning “Joseph Knight”, a fictional account of an C18th ground-breaking judicial case. ![]()
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