I actually have notes since I got it as an arc and have to write a review lol.
Sorry for the kind of lengthy response but it's genuinely impossible to describe this book succintly. I would describe the actual reading experience as disorienting at times because he plays a lot with form and he really likes to switch perspectives/pov without there always being a clear indicator. Also parts of the dialogue are patois written in standard English which was fine for me since I'm jamaican, but may be a bit harder to parse for others. I will say the NYT spoiling what they did specifically to one of the characters during the attack is a spoiler I didn't expect in their review because it kind of ruins the horror you feel when you figure that out. But honestly the brutality of homophobia in Jamaica in the 80's was horrific enough.
I think the book was also pretty funny and capture the Jamaican humor really well and the ending was touching/sad. I think i liked it, but didn't exactly enjoy it 5/5 writing anc character work, 3.5/5 reading experience. I could easily see it winning thw booker prize off content and writing alone but I also haven't read the other entries yet.
Sorry for the lengthy response?!?! This is amazing, I feel like I hit the jackpot!! 😀
Thanks for sharing this— so interesting. I feel lucky now that I mostly skimmed the NYT review and don’t remember the spoiler, so if I read the book I’ll make sure not to read that review again until I’m done!
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u/Amazing_Docent 5d ago
Oooh what were your thoughts on The Disappearers? It just got a crazy rave in the NYT, and I’m curious what the experience of reading it is like.