Scan barcode
A review by mediaevalmuse
The Book of Night Women by Marlon James
4.0
I read somewhere that James is planning to write a series of fantasy novels that incorporates African folklore/mythology, so I decided to pick this book up as I waited. In all, I very much enjoyed the pacing and complex outlook of the novel. I didn’t feel like I was reading a novel whose only mission was to condemn slavery. Instead, I felt like I was reading a richer illustration of 18th century colony life. Be warned, much of this novel is very graphic in terms of violence and sexual assault - but even so, it’s a worth while read if you want your view of history to be more nuanced.
Things I Liked
1. Complexity: This novel rarely adheres to absolutes. For example, it presents readers with a variety of characters, some of whom desire to be favored by white people in order to avoid punishment, and other who desire to kill and revolt against white people. At the same time, Lilith experiences a range of complex emotions, feeling both guilty and glad when white people are killed, being both attracted to and disgusted by Quinn, etc. Such complexity asks readers to empathize with the characters as they would have felt at the time period - it doesn’t ask us to excuse slavery or feel supportive of the atrocities committed by white people, but it does ask us to see people as more complex beings with sometimes antithetical emotions.
2. Language: This novel is written entirely in dialect. I liked this decision because it felt more like a story being told from the perspective of the oppressed. Not that other slave narratives are not legitimate, but when we read a narrative written in “proper” English, it feels more like the narrator is trying to adhere to white methods of storytelling. By writing in dialect, James gives us something that reads more like an account told in the narrator’s own voice.
3. Blend of Stories: This novel isn’t just about the life of a slave or just about a planned revolt. It combines both elements so the plot moves back and forth between Lilith’s personal experiences and the plotting by the Night Women. While much of the focus is on Lilith’s perspective, the combined slave life and rebellion in the background allows readers to see how Lilith can be conflicted about participating.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Focus on Women’s Bodies: I get that this novel was about slavery, so necessarily, it couldn’t leave out the horrors of sexual assault. But there were times when the focus on women’s bodies was a bit tiresome. Rape and assault can be read as the thread that holds all the parts of the novel together - there’s a lot of them, and almost all of the main points of Lilith’s story can be tied to an assault. Moreover, there are asides such as being aware of how much a character’s breasts bounced as she ran and comments on the quality of a woman’s vagina as an insult.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in the history of slavery, 18th century history, slave revolts, and Jamaican/Caribbean history.
Things I Liked
1. Complexity: This novel rarely adheres to absolutes. For example, it presents readers with a variety of characters, some of whom desire to be favored by white people in order to avoid punishment, and other who desire to kill and revolt against white people. At the same time, Lilith experiences a range of complex emotions, feeling both guilty and glad when white people are killed, being both attracted to and disgusted by Quinn, etc. Such complexity asks readers to empathize with the characters as they would have felt at the time period - it doesn’t ask us to excuse slavery or feel supportive of the atrocities committed by white people, but it does ask us to see people as more complex beings with sometimes antithetical emotions.
2. Language: This novel is written entirely in dialect. I liked this decision because it felt more like a story being told from the perspective of the oppressed. Not that other slave narratives are not legitimate, but when we read a narrative written in “proper” English, it feels more like the narrator is trying to adhere to white methods of storytelling. By writing in dialect, James gives us something that reads more like an account told in the narrator’s own voice.
3. Blend of Stories: This novel isn’t just about the life of a slave or just about a planned revolt. It combines both elements so the plot moves back and forth between Lilith’s personal experiences and the plotting by the Night Women. While much of the focus is on Lilith’s perspective, the combined slave life and rebellion in the background allows readers to see how Lilith can be conflicted about participating.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Focus on Women’s Bodies: I get that this novel was about slavery, so necessarily, it couldn’t leave out the horrors of sexual assault. But there were times when the focus on women’s bodies was a bit tiresome. Rape and assault can be read as the thread that holds all the parts of the novel together - there’s a lot of them, and almost all of the main points of Lilith’s story can be tied to an assault. Moreover, there are asides such as being aware of how much a character’s breasts bounced as she ran and comments on the quality of a woman’s vagina as an insult.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in the history of slavery, 18th century history, slave revolts, and Jamaican/Caribbean history.