An 11 year-old slave on Faith Sugar Plantation, George Washington Black, is taken on as an assistant to his master's brother, Christopher Wilde, or "Titch." Together they set off in a hot air balloon-type contraption, they get lost along the way, and they end up in the Arctic, England, Morocco, Nova Scotia, etc. The story seems to ask, what does it mean to have freedom? And what does the journey from enslavement to freedom look like?

This is a historical fiction novel with, perhaps, a little bit of magical realism. Judging the book by the cover (bad idea, I know, but how can you help it?), I thought there was going to be a lot more sci-fi/steam punk/speculative fiction/supernatural elements than there were. Although the story was fairly unrealistic (too many strange coincidences and distant travels), it wasn't AS unrealistic as I thought it would be. The writing was clear and the plot was pretty straightforward. I was engaged throughout, but not exactly enthralled. It was a solid book and I don't really have any complaints, nor do I have any specific praises. I will say, the Tichborne trial that this book was originally inspired by is fascinating and revealed where some of Edugyan's impulses came from. I certainly would recommend this book to others.