Fiction. African American Studies. A finalist for both the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, this stunning debut novel tells the story of a biblical struggle in a remote Jamaican village in 1957 with language as taut as classic works by Cormac McCarthy and a richness reminiscent of early Toni Morrison. "A powerful first novel.... Writing with assurance and control, James uses his small-town drama to suggest the larger anguish of a postcolonial society struggling for its own identity"—The New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice.

Author City: Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN USA

Marlon James was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1970. His second novel, The Book of Night Women, a New York Times Editors' Choice, was released in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim. Currently a professor of literature and creative writing at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, he divides his time between Jamaica, New York City, and the Twin Cities.

Reviews and Other Links
author blog
James Polk in the NY Times Book Review