Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Marvellous Equations of the Dread: A Novel in Bass Riddim by Marcia Douglas

2 reviews

jherane's review

challenging mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

To say this book is "immersive" somehow still undersells the world Marcia Douglas sews for us from London, Half Way Tree and Zion. 

"Dub is what happens when time collapses. But it is not the collapse of all time, just the collapse of their time. Dub is the collapse of their time and the rise of fi wi time." - Isis Semaj-Hall

Writing a fictional biography of Bob Marley and his journey across worlds, and timelines could easily overwhelm any writer, but Douglas manages this masterfully. Bob's journey is vulnerable and flawed, and while his story is a distinctive thread, Douglas still fully fleshes out other characters to grow and share their personal stories and provides a rich contrast to Jamaica's history. 

The plot is only a small part of the journey in this book, as Douglas truly plays with form and rhythm to remind us of the fault lines that run across the African diaspora (living and the dead).

Douglas plays both cartographer and DJ with these fault lines. And just like any great Dub, she deconstructs and later emphasises moments in Jamaica's history that explains our relationship with ourself and connects our physical and spiritual worlds through relics. 

This powerful story is modern Jamaican folklore that deserves a bigger audience to read (and keep re-reading) it. This is my second time re-reading it and I'm still blown away by the mastery. I'd recommend this to fans of Kei Miller's poetry collections. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Police brutality, and Xenophobia

Minor: Toxic relationship

bellagrace's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence and Hate crime

Minor: Cancer, Genocide, Terminal illness, and Slavery