It is not an easy task, chronicling the real life of a famous black man in 18th century Britain. The book opens in 1775 with Charles Ignatius Sancho revisiting his diaries so he can tell his story to his son Billy. We start with Sancho being born and orphaned in 1729 on board a slave ship. Arriving on shore he is gifted to three maiden aunts in Greenwich, who fuss over him, treating him like a pet.
While hiding after a punishment as a small child, Sancho is befriended by the Duke of Montagu, who takes it upon himself to teach him to read and write. Sancho enjoys the Duke’s kindness until he turns 20. A series of events lead to him escaping his enslavement, making his way to London. Here he achieves things unimaginable for a slave. He seeks, and ultimately finds love, and finds fame as the first Black man in England to be allowed to vote.
Part of the novel is taken up with letters between Sancho and Anne, his wife-to-be. Her letters recount her harrowing stay on Caribbean plantations. Although we never get to know her as well as we do Sancho. It is, after all, his story and the book is strongest when dealing with the challenges he faces. The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is somewhat uneven, and at times disjointed, jumping as it does between memoir and letters. But it offers a welcome insight into the presence of black people in Georgian England.
Reviewed by Lesley West
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paterson Joseph is a beloved British actor and writer. Recently seen on Vigil and Noughts and Crosses, he has also starred in Peep Show and Law & Order UK and he plays Arthur Slugworth in the forthcoming Wonka movie. The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho is his debut novel.
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