The Disappearers

Marlon James’ The Disappearers is one hell of a book, and at times, a shocking one. At 600+ pages, it’s also one hell of a long book. Yet, despite its length and intensity—even, in fact, because of these qualities—The Disappearers is hard to put down. The novel begins in May 1988, when a group of men respond to a casting call for Fortune and Men’s Eyes, a 1967 play written by John Herbert about the brutal nature of prison life. Over the next several weeks, Eddy, Jordan, Clive, Matt, Rainford, Omar, Orrin and Havelock (the director) flirt, bicker and bond over their shared experiences as gay men in Jamaica, a place where, in the 1980s, homosexuality is punished with sometimes deadly violence that is committed with impunity. Mere weeks into rehearsals, that violence visits their rehearsal space, and the results are devastating. Every man in attendance is severely injured and one of them loses his life. Reeling in the aftermath of the attack, Eddy and Jordan try to make sense of what happened and attempt to find two of the men—Matt and Orrin—who have completely disappeared. Meanwhile, a dedicated reporter does her best to gather the whole story, but in doing so, captures some ugly truths about Jamaican society as well as about the men themselves. As he did in his Booker Prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings, which fictionalized the 1976 attempted assassination of Bob Marley, James takes readers to dark places. The Disappearers will challenge readers’ beliefs about justice, and also upend presumptions about who has the right to dispense it. It’s shocking how easy it is to get swept up in the bloodshed, but this is part of the book’s powerful message. This book is about the cultures that make and break us and the power of trauma to corrupt our purest sensibilities. It is also about how good art—and good artists—can save us. If you’re nostalgic for 1980s and ’90s pop, rock and reggae, this one’s for you, but beware: Music plays a heartbreaking role in the plot and illustrates how some of our biggest heroes have feet of clay. A good book can lift your spirits, brighten your day or add some spice to a dull life, but the truly great books change how you think, what you see and, hopefully, how you live. The Disappearers is one of those.

"I learned from Morrison . . . not to be afraid to put the character and the reader in an uncomfortable situation.” Read our interview with Marlon James about The Disappearers.