THE GREATEST THING

A young enslaved Black boy is gifted by King Louis XV to his favorite mistress in Flinn’s historical novel.

In the year 1771, after having been subjected to months of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse by his abductors, a terrified 10-year-old boy (who will eventually be christened Louis-Benoit Zamor) is brought to the palace of Versailles. He arrives starving and dressed in rags, with no idea of where he is. This novel details the life of that young child, who is raised as a personal page to Madame du Barry, the king’s “favorite,” who, in adulthood, will be labeled a traitor. Zamor, as he is called, is washed, dressed in royal finery, and brought to meet his mistress. Narrating his own story, Zamor describes Madame’s joy when he is presented to her: As she opens her arms to him, “She smelled like flowers, and I let myself give in to the embrace, feeling tears spring to my eyes. In her arms, I almost felt human again…” Moments later, Madame is presented with a second gift, a dog, which she receives with the same delight; “Twopets,” she declares with glee. This is Zamor’s first inkling of what it will mean to be a slave in the royal court, albeit one who is well fed, magnificently dressed, and highly educated. His mission over the next decades—leading to the storming of the Bastille—is to obtain his freedom. Flinn’s articulate, multi-layered portrayal of the period leading up to the French Revolution overflows with the feuds, intrigues, and duplicities of life among the royals. Her narrative, inspired by the life of the actual Zamor, is packed with the minutia of royal excesses, cruel indulgences, and depravities. Zamor is a powerful protagonist, a figure plagued by rage and skilled in revenge, but also capable of love and great acts of kindness. Often beaten and humiliated, he remains unbroken. With his finely honed talent for sarcasm, Zamor is a compelling social commentator on the evils of slavery and the tumult of the French Revolution.

A lavishly detailed, disturbing, and addictive read, well-stocked with historical nuggets.