A review by kdawn999
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

3.0

I had been itching to read this since it was on the short list for the Man Booker. After it won and I heard a fantastic NPR interview with the author, I dropped everything to read it. What I was promised was a sweeping epic of Biblical proportions. What I've been left with is a feeling of overall indifference. Frankly, there wasn't much to this 700-page story. This is probably because there was too much to too many different stories, and the author opted for a character and voice-driven telling with little plot. I loved this style with The Poisonwood Bible, but in that the perspectives were limited and the characters revealed the angles on one family. Jame's book is much more ambitious, but sadly, the substance is thinned because of that. The best chapters of the book are those narrated by the ghost of an assassinated politician. Those chapters are mesmerizing and brilliant. I wish that idea of ghosts had been a bit more prevalent in the philosophy of this novel as a way to tie its themes together.

If you're reading for the history and Jamaican setting, you won't be disappointed. If you're reading for the craft, this might let you down.