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

challenging dark informative tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

 Nothing like ending a reading project with a bang. A Brief History of Seven Killings was the final book for my project of reading every book featured in This is the Canon. Decolonize Your Bookshelf in 50 Books and what a cracker of a book it was. It felt epic in scope with a truly large and varied cast of characters, was told from fourteen different points of view, and its action spanned two countries and two decades. Part of the plot centred around a real life assassination attempt on Bob Marley, referred to here as the Singer, and its aftermath, but the full plot was much more complicated, involving the intersection of criminal gangs, the drug trade, Rastafarianism, political parties and the machinations of the CIA, with explorations of race, class, colonisation, sexuality and gender woven in. It wasn’t just a crime novel; it really highlighted the socio-political history of Jamaica in the 1970s and 1980s. On top of that it also explored the concepts of storytelling and of beating witness. The overall tone was hardcore masculinity, often toxic and with plenty of violence, not normally my favourite, but here it worked for me. The story was compelling, grabbing my attention and never letting go, and the characters well-drawn and multi-faceted, without necessarily being likeable. James can sure write - the authenticity and range in his dialogues alone was impressive - and the audio production values were impeccable, really adding to the story. Not always an easy read but well worth it. 
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