A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

A Brief History of Seven Killings

by Marlon James

 

'Epic in every sense of the word' New York Times

Jamaica, 1976. Seven gunmen storm Bob Marley's house, machine guns blazing.

The reggae superstar survives, but the gunmen are never caught. 

In A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James reimagines the story behind this near-mythical event, chronicling the lives of a host of unforgettable characters from street kids, drug lords and journalists, to prostitutes and secret service agents. 

Gripping, inventive and ambitious, it is one of the most mesmerising and influential novels of the twenty-first century.

'Showcases the extraordinary capabilities of a writer whose importance can scarcely be questioned' Independent

Reviewed by pamela on

2 of 5 stars

Share
If there was ever a book that overstayed its welcome it was A Brief History of Seven Killings. Despite it being a prize winner and being so well reviewed I had to put this one down at 54%. I found the entire experience to be utterly underwhelming. I tried, I really did. I read 5% carefully. Got to 11% speed reading. Signed up for a free month of Audible so I could give the audio book a go. At 39% I tried speed reading again and then just gave up. Reading should be joyous. It can be hard work, but it should never feel like a job. Also, Brief?



That is not to say however that Marlon James is a bad writer. His prose is well thought out and there are some really poignant moments. What James seems to struggle with is self-editing. A Brief History of Seven Killings was at least 200 pages too long and had at least 3 too many characters, maybe even more of both. There was not enough difference between many of the character voices, and the content of what they were saying was so similar as to become repetitive. If a book makes you think 'shut up with the rape already' rather than being viscerally appalled at the prospect of it, then you know the work has failed on some level.

A Brief History of Seven Killings is a book about violence, poverty, abuse, power, and intrigue and yet I was bored. There is something wrong with that picture. I feel like prize winners these days are developed purely to suck the joy out of reading. They should make you think, or do something extraordinary with their genre or format. This book did neither.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 22 November, 2015: Finished reading
  • 22 November, 2015: Reviewed