I just finished Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings, and I gotta say, it was so refreshing. I'm no liberal-left type or anything, but reading a well-written, literary novel that dealt with mostly poor, black characters (and with some gay and women stuff too) was really nice to read. It gave me a window on a world I, white European I am, didn't really know anything about, without being preachy or too hung up on racial politics. A nice break from the overwhelming middle-class ennui of white fiction these days. And it was a pretty well-done story too, complicated and a little challenging in a good way. I heard the author was inspired by Faulkner and it shows. Has anyone else read this book? What did you guys make of it?
I just finished Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings, and I gotta say, it was so refreshing...
William Lee
Joseph Hughes
This sounds neat, OP. I'll try and keep it in mind.
Parker Diaz
I'm waiting for his Black Leopard, Red Wolf
Jonathan Reyes
It's a good read. A little slow at first and later on the narrative gets confusing - way more confusing than Faulkner, for me at least - but some of the Jamaican-patois prose is absolutely beautiful, and for a guy who would be championed by idpol types James knows how to write anyone from black to gay to white.
I'm very intrigued.
Ian Ward
Too long! Drawn out enough that it suffers from not having a plot, and that's not normally something I complain about. Didn't learn anything but it had a few memorable passages. Patois was the highlight -- not a gimmick, but its main claim to being "literary".
Brayden Harris
Wardine be cry, mon. Rasscloth battyhole.
Josiah Brooks
>I'm no liberal-left type or anything, but
Gavin Torres
...
Dylan Clark
That's a fair opinion. It took me me longer than it should've to finish. The third section especially, before it goes all Scarface, is kind of a slog. I stuck around for Josey Wales myself.
Lincoln Morris
I finished rereading it a week ago. It ages like fine wine, which is surprising considering how equally schizophrenic it can be in tone. It has crime, politics, feminism, race, and domestic discontent, all rolled up into one comprehensive case study on a tumultuous era in modern history. Plus, the guy writes inner monologue better than any modern writer that I've come across. Each character, apart from Demus, who felt a little archetypal, has a distinct vernacular and attitude.
I truly hope it stands the test of time and becomes hailed as one of the great 21st century novels
Luis Young
And speaking of feminism, it treats the subject matter with just the right amount of tact. The best part about Nina is that she is portrayed as both a victim and occasional aggressor, and not like some paragon of human morality which seems to be the trend nowadays
Nathaniel Bailey
Read Night Women, its even better.
Seven Killings was my favorite book of last year, and if they make an HBO series out of it with Idris Elba as Jose Wales they are gonna make bank.
Jonathan Perez
Well to be fair, the situation of poor women in Jamaica as depicted in that book is rather unhappy to say the least.
Brayden Wilson
Yeah, what I meant is that it would have been easy to portray Nina as an innocent woman who can do no wrong, but she has a couple of moments in which she reveals a more instinctual side
Mason Bell
Veeky Forums had a ABHo7K phase not too long ago, before he Stoner phase I think. No one had anything bad to say about it, many thought it was great. I went to go buy it without realizing that it was a doorstopper and bitched out. I'll definitely read it sometime
Kayden Robinson
>brief history
>it's not brief
how does he get away with it
Levi Perry
is bho7k the city of god of literature?
is marlon james the black david foster wallace?
Evan Morgan
Really enjoyed it. Used to work with someone straight outta Kingston, so the patois wasn't lost on me.
I'm a bit worried about what he's working on now, apparently its a cross of Game of Thrones and African royalty
in b4 WE WUZ
Thomas Cox
$0.02 has been deposited in your Soros Poverty Law Center account
Hunter Ross
>is marlon james the black david foster wallace?
p sure that's Coulson Whitehead. He even looks like a black DFW
Jackson Fisher
why would you be worried?
>“African folklore is just as rich, and just as perverse as that shit,” he told the magazine. “We have witches, we have demons, we have goblins, and mad kings. We have stories of royal succession that would put Wolf Hall to shame.”
Sounds good actually.
I hope it has zombies, zombies were "an african thing".
Robert Brown
I think I'm worried people may hype it up and if it doesn't "match" GoT a lot of people will turn their backs on it. I don't know maybe I'm overthinking.
I hope it turns out alright
Jacob Lopez
fanta-see ain't welcome 'round these parts, boy. best be movin' on.
GOWAN, GIT
Ethan Cook
But i want to read some kink voodoo witchcraft..
Leo Hughes
>before he Stoner phase
Stoner phase was like 2012, followed swiftly by this kind of thing:
No, he is an awful SJW, hits every stereotypes. How that doesnt bleed into his books I have no idea.
I too am looking forward to this work.
Lucas Walker
I read the book over the summer. I found it to be good overall but the final part was an unbelievable slog at first. The chapter in which Nina (going under a different name) is just really fucking stressed out because she fucked some dude for a green card but also has an American husband or boyfriend, that part was far too long and was pretty fucking boring.
The prose was fucking great though. The patois was very well done and the characters were all interesting. I'd give it a 7/10 just because it was way too long. There was no reason to go to America, I don't think. It seemed like another book.