A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

What a long time it took me to read this unusual and often disturbing novel about Jamaica. It is structured as one brief first-person narrative after another from a large cast of characters, so large that a reference list is included at the beginning to help readers keep up with who is who. Almost all accounts are written in Jamaican patois, which often had to be read several times, sometimes aloud even, to make sense (and sometimes I never quite understood what was being said). It is certainly not brief -- almost 700 pages.

The story begins in the ghettos of Kingston in 1979, centered about the (real-life) failed assassination of the reggae singer Bob Marley, just before the Peace Concert by which he intended to foster peace between the violently warring political/criminal factions of his beloved Jamaica. From there, the action follows the fortunes, criminal activities, and fates of the assassins, extending finally to the United States in 1991. Along the way, the novel reveals a picture of a country beset by poverty and corruption, and of the innocent victims of the resulting lawlessness.

The most fascinating aspect of A Brief History of Seven Killings is the skillful way James manipulates narrative voice, making each of his many speakers sound distinctively individual. Also, he is very clever in the way he reveals character, while simultaneously telling a story and conveying background about Jamaican history. This guy is quite a writer.

On the other hand, the plot could have been tightened considerably by the omission of superfluous incidents and explicit sexual detail, neither of which served any purpose, that I could see. It was necessary to portray violence, of course, but it was often needlessly graphic.

So is A Brief History of Seven Killings worth the time and effort? For me, yes it was, but it might not be for people who have busier and more time constraining lives.