BOOKS FROM JAMAICAThe Book of Night Women
by Marlon James
Tags:
Male author
Description:
From the author of the National Book Award finalist Black Leopard, Red Wolf and the WINNER of the 2015 Man Booker Prize for A Brief History of Seven Killings "An undeniable success.” — The New York Times Book Review A true triumph of voice and storytelling, The Book of Night Women rings with both profound authenticity and a distinctly contemporary energy. It is the story of Lilith, born into slavery on a Jamaican sugar plantation at the end of the eighteenth century. Even at her birth, the slave women around her recognize a dark power that they- and she-will come to both revere and fear. The Night Women, as they call themselves, have long been plotting a slave revolt, and as Lilith comes of age they see her as the key to their plans. But when she begins to understand her own feelings, desires, and identity, Lilith starts to push at the edges of what is imaginable for the life of a slave woman, and risks becoming the conspiracy's weak link. But the real revelation of the book-the secret to the stirring imagery and insistent prose-is Marlon James himself, a young writer at once breathtakingly daring and wholly in command of his craft.
Reviews:
(6 months ago) |
23 Mar, 2025
I read the first two chapters of A Brief History of Seven Killings and didn’t care for it so I was a bit hesitant about this book. I’m glad I gave it a chance.
The first word that comes to mind for this book is raw. It is unforgiving in its brutal descriptions of slavery, rape and torture, and yet none of it is gratuitous or unnecessary. None of it seems pornographic and certainly none of it is glorified. It is simply raw.
James also seems to be one of few male authors with the ability to write from a female perspective with unbelievable accuracy and conviction.
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