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A review by dianat
A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
so wtf did I just read?
The title of the book was familiar; the notion that it was “a classic” faintly registered. And it was a re-print by a very reputable publisher (originally published in 1929).
I deliberately didn’t read the introduction by Francine Prose (another marker that this was a serious book) and I didn’t google anything about it or look at any goodreads reviews.
The only thing that gave me a clue of what was to come was the blurb where it said it contained “weird humour and unforeseen violence.”
Well.
I kind of hate this book. It is so dark, but the darkness catches you unawares. Is like you read a sentence and you reach part way through the next paragraph and you have to stop and ask, wait, what really is happening here?
Next thing was the dated language, which was undoubtedly quite acceptable in 1929, is racist and repulsive in the 21st century, and so it was unpleasant and discomfiting.
But.
I’m glad I read it, on many levels and for several reasons.
1. The writing style is quirky and unconventional (at least in the context of the books I usually read). But it works. It’s key to the book’s disturbing effect.
2. I am always interested in books that are deemed #classics, especially any well known book that has anything to do with #Jamaica.
3. The book aims at, and achieves I think, revealing and probing universal truths that we ordinarily don’t think about, some which may not even be apparent to us before the book forces us to confront them. In this story: the inner life of a child and the atavism of the human animal, among other themes.
Would I recommend this book?
Depends on the reader: their sensibilities, and their appetite for multi-layered books that lead the reader to dark places.
The title of the book was familiar; the notion that it was “a classic” faintly registered. And it was a re-print by a very reputable publisher (originally published in 1929).
I deliberately didn’t read the introduction by Francine Prose (another marker that this was a serious book) and I didn’t google anything about it or look at any goodreads reviews.
The only thing that gave me a clue of what was to come was the blurb where it said it contained “weird humour and unforeseen violence.”
Well.
I kind of hate this book. It is so dark, but the darkness catches you unawares. Is like you read a sentence and you reach part way through the next paragraph and you have to stop and ask, wait, what really is happening here?
Next thing was the dated language, which was undoubtedly quite acceptable in 1929, is racist and repulsive in the 21st century, and so it was unpleasant and discomfiting.
But.
I’m glad I read it, on many levels and for several reasons.
1. The writing style is quirky and unconventional (at least in the context of the books I usually read). But it works. It’s key to the book’s disturbing effect.
2. I am always interested in books that are deemed #classics, especially any well known book that has anything to do with #Jamaica.
3. The book aims at, and achieves I think, revealing and probing universal truths that we ordinarily don’t think about, some which may not even be apparent to us before the book forces us to confront them. In this story: the inner life of a child and the atavism of the human animal, among other themes.
Would I recommend this book?
Depends on the reader: their sensibilities, and their appetite for multi-layered books that lead the reader to dark places.