The Hangman’s Game, a densely layered, challengingly ambitious work of fiction by Guyanese-born author Karen King-Aribisala, has won the Commonwealth’s Best Book prize for the African region. The novel weaves together two distinct historical moments: the
King-Aribasala lives in Nigeria and teaches at the University of Lagos. Imagine This by Nigerian writer Sade Adeniran took Best First Book for Africa. Her novel follows a young girl growing up in a small Nigerian village after spending early years in foster care in England.
“Adeniran’s sensitivity and the intimate nature of the writing make for a compelling and ultimately rewarding first novel.” A $20,000 prize for Overall Best Book went to Canada’s Lawrence Hill for his novel, The Book of Negroes.
Through the voice of Aminita Diallo, an African woman sold into slavery, Hill tells ”the forgotten story” of 1,200 Africans who are liberated after many years of forced slavery in the Americas in the 18th century and make a miraculous return to the motherland.
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