It’s rare that I post twice in one week, but I couldn’t let the news pass that a Jamaican literary crime novel has won the 2015 Man Booker: Marlon James’ A Brief History of Seven Killings (OneWorld).
It’s the second time in recent years that a novel featuring strong elements of crime has won the prize – the other being Eleanor Catton’s The Luminaries in 2013. It’s also the first time a Jamaican author has won the prize in its 47-year history.
I picked up A Brief History of Seven Killings in the summer without realising it was a contender for the Man Booker. At that point I was simply intrigued by the novel’s title, its striking cover, and the central event it examines – the attempted murder of reggae superstar Bob Marley in Jamaica in 1976. Here’s the Man Booker summary of the novel to give you an idea of its scope:
>> On 3 December 1976, just weeks before the general election and two days before Bob Marley was to play the Smile Jamaica concert to ease political tensions, seven men from West Kingston stormed his house with machine guns. Marley survived and went on to perform at the free concert. But the next day he left the country and didn’t return for two years.
Inspired by this near-mythic event, A Brief History of Seven Killings takes the form of an imagined oral biography, told by ghosts, witnesses, killers, members of parliament, drug dealers, conmen, beauty queens, FBI and CIA agents, reporters, journalists, and even Keith Richards’ drug dealer. The story traverses strange landscapes and shady characters, as motivations are examined – and questions asked. <<
Marlon James by Jeffrey Skemp (Man Booker Prize)
I’m about half way through the novel at the moment and am finding it a rich and challenging reading experience – in the best possible sense:
- It’s anything but a ‘brief history’. The novel is 686 pages long and features over 75 characters, fifteen of which have narrative voices. There’s a helpful ‘cast of characters’ at the beginning that’s four pages long.
- The opening chapter secured my attention right away. It’s narrated by a dead man: murdered former politician Sir Arthur Jennings (‘nobody falls that way without being pushed’). Criminal acts and criminality are at the heart of the novel.
- The first three sections are set in Kingston, Jamaica, and show life in the ghetto, offering a brilliant, but *extremely* hard-hitting depiction of how grinding poverty, gang violence and political turbulence are entwined. Many of the narrators use Jamaican patois and have a stream of consciousness style, which may take a little while to get used to, but is rewarding once you do.
- The novel illuminates race, class and gender relations via a number of characters, including a gay gang member and a young woman who had a brief liaison with ‘The Singer’. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing where Nina Burgess’ story goes. You can read an extract from one of her chapters here.
- And then of course there’s the world of ‘The Singer’, his possibly naive attempts to intervene in politics, and the stories of the men who attack him, which are the novel’s principal structuring device.
Here’s a selection of articles on the author and the novel:
Craig Sisterson, ‘Crime Novel wins Man Booker!‘, Crime Watch blog: an exploration of the novel’s crime credentials and reactions to the win.
Nicholas Blincoe reviews the novel for The Telegraph and compares it to James Ellroy’s LA Quartet. Warning: contains spoilers, but also helpful information about the historical and political contexts in which the novel is set.
Paula Cocozza, ‘Man Booker Winner Marlon James’: ‘I was the nerd, I wasn’t into sports, assumed gay’, The Guardian. Profile of the author, which notes that the novel was rejected 78 times before securing a publishing deal.
Michiko Kakutani, ‘Jamaica via a Sea of Voices’, New York Times, in which the novel is described as being ‘like a Tarantino remake of “The Harder They Come” but with a soundtrack by Bob Marley and a script by Oliver Stone and William Faulkner, with maybe a little creative boost from some primo ganja’.
Tim Martin, ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings is violent, shocking – and a worthy winner of the 2015 Man Booker Prize’, The Telegraph. Again, comparisons are made to Ellroy: ‘Following Ellroy, it involves itself deeply in the intricate plotlines of the crime genre’.
In sum, an extraordinary novel, and it’s wonderful to see it win such a major literary prize.
Mrs. Peabody Investigates 
Thanks for all those links! My husband bought this one, so I intend to steal it when he’s finished as it sounds fascinating. Comparisons to Tarantino, Ellroy and Faulkner? I’m in!
It’s an amazing ride! I’m still only half way through and am finding that I need to take little pauses as it’s very intense and densely written (in the best possible way). An epic, but one that’s very much worth the effort. Hope you like and let me know what you think!
Sounds fab!
This sounds like a Booker winner I am going to read and one which will keep my busy on the long winter nights coming up. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the links 🙂
You’re welcome, Marianne. Yes, I think it’s a keeper and one that will keep you going for a good few nights! Do let me know what you think of it…
Lovely piece, Mrs. P. ! I’ve been hearing such a lot of talk about this books, and it does sound like an excellent read. And of course, it’s great to see another crime fiction – related novel win the prize. It sounds as though the book’s length helps weave the tapestry of the story, and that can make for an excellent novel. I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of it.
Thanks, Margot. You’re absolutely spot on with the image of a tapestry – the way in which the different voices are blended together in particular lend the novel a ‘tapestry’ feel. And I can see that the length is justified – the novel covers a huge amount of historical and political ground, while also investigating the psychologies of the various characters in detail – and that all takes time.
I must be honest – what I’d read about this book did not enthuse me and I thought ‘life is too short, I’ll give it a miss’; but then I read what you had to say, and feel I rushed to judgement, if Mrs P recommends a book, then who can resist!
Eek! No pressure then!
I don’t think it’s a book that would suit everyone, but my hope is that readers will give it a go and that they’ll feel rewarded by the experience. I haven’t always found it an easy read, as I say in my post, but I’ve never for one instant rued the reading effort it requires. Definitely worth it, in my view.
ON THE LIST.
Happy Christmas to me thanks to you!
Great!!! Hope you like it and let me know what you think 🙂
Just bought it myself. Only a couple of chapters in, but enjoying it very much. I hadn’t considered the parallels with Ellroy, but they’re actually very clear.
I’m still discovering Ellroy, but the comparison does sound like an apt one. Glad to hear that you’re enjoying the book. Loved the opening chapter – hooked me in right away.
I read it a few weeks ago and was bowled over by it. I’ve read all the ellroys including the la quarter and the American tabloid trilogy, those are demanding reads which play with language and are visceral in content but rewarding and stand as classic literature as does the best crime fiction, a genre neglected by mainstream plaudits. I am really pleased that Marlon James has won as it tells a fascinating story about jamaica its politics and the impact of crime on individuals plus some great characters amongst the 75. Highly recommended. I am now on ‘All involved’ by Ryan gattis which is similarly a strong picture of the LA riots.
I haven’t read enough Ellroy to feel like I’m an expert, but think you’re right about that combination of linguistic play and hard-hitting content. I’m really pleased that James won too – I understand he wasn’t viewed as a frontrunner by the literary pundits, but that the jury made its decision in around two hours (a relatively short time).
Will check out Ryan Gattis and All Involved. Sounds good – thanks.
Thanks, glad to give a recommend as I’ve had some great reads from your blog .
Good to hear! And now we have a virtuous circle – even better.
This is an excellent development both in the literary world and the world at large, in giving this great recognition to a Jamaican author. It’s another progressive step in being inclusive in granting literary prizes beyond the U.S./Europe axis.
Absolutely – let’s hope that this kind of inclusivity becomes the norm.