panoptican's review
challenging
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Rape, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Cursing, Trafficking, Misogyny, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Addiction, Racial slurs, Sexism, Physical abuse, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Racism, Bullying, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Torture, Police brutality, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug use
alisonburnis's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Marlon James is a masterful writer, and this is definitely on show in A Brief History of Seven Killings - I mean, it won the Booker. That said, I wasn’t as into this one as I would have liked. I appreciated the writing but the topic wasn’t one I would have gone for typically. So yay for James getting me to read about Bob Marley, Jamaica, and the crack wars, when I might not have picked this up otherwise.
This takes place over a handful of days spread across 15 years. It begins with the attempted murder of Bob Marley, referred to as the Singer, in Jamaica, and follows the characters through the aftermath of the attempted murder, to the drug wars of the 1980s, and then into the 1990s. It is a fictionalization of the attempted murder, though some real figures feature. This is a rich, suspenseful story.
This takes place over a handful of days spread across 15 years. It begins with the attempted murder of Bob Marley, referred to as the Singer, in Jamaica, and follows the characters through the aftermath of the attempted murder, to the drug wars of the 1980s, and then into the 1990s. It is a fictionalization of the attempted murder, though some real figures feature. This is a rich, suspenseful story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Racial slurs, Murder, Gun violence, Blood, Drug use, Rape, Torture, Sexual harassment, and Misogyny
More...