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3.5 

John Crow's Devil

By Marlon James
John Crow's Devil by Marlon James digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

The long-awaited paperback reissue of Booker–Prize Winner Marlon James's debut novel.

—Marlon James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for his third novel, A Brief History of Seven Killings.

—Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize

“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.” —New York Times, Editors’ Choice

“Elements coalesce in a Jamaican stew spicier than jerk chicken. First novelist James moves effortlessly between lyrical patois and trenchant observations . . . It’s 150-proof literary rum guaranteed to intoxicate and enchant. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal, Starred Review

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, Marlon James reveals his unique narrative command that will firmly establish his place as one of today’s freshest, most talented young writers.

In the village of Gibbeah—where certain women fly and certain men protect secrets with their lives—magic coexists with religion, and good and evil are never as they seem. In this town, a battle is fought between two men of God. The story begins when a drunkard named Hector Bligh (the “Rum Preacher”) is dragged from his pulpit by a man calling himself “Apostle” York. Handsome and brash, York demands a fire-and-brimstone church, but sets in motion a phenomenal and deadly struggle for the soul of Gibbeah itself. John Crow’s Devil is a novel about religious mania, redemption, sexual obsession, and the eternal struggle inside all of us between the righteous and the wicked.

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54 Reviews

3.5
Surprised Face with Open Mouth““Come now, church, who is ready to be violent for the Lord?!” There's something about organized religion that can be really terrifying at times, the way it can feed on fear and trump all logic and decency. Filled with Obeah and omens of john crows. And do I dare call this a satire? Because at times I wanted to chuckle, but mostly to keep myself from being so horrified at the events and chuck the book across the room. I loved the way that the town's hypocrisy and secrets slowly began to be revealed and ultimately lead to its downfall. I really enjoyed this one, although at times the author's wordsmithing got in the way of narrative pacing. But I was engaged throughout and when I had lots of time to focus my attention and get lost in the story.”

About Marlon James

MARLON JAMES was born in Jamaica in 1970. He is the author of the New York Times-bestseller Black Leopard, Red Wolf, which was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction in 2019. His novel A Brief History of Seven Killings won the 2015 Man Booker Prize. It was also a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature for fiction, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for fiction, and the Minnesota Book Award. It was also a New York Times Notable Book. James is also the author of The Book of Night Women, which won the 2010 Dayton Literary Peace Prize and the Minnesota Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Critics Circle Award in fiction and an NAACP Image Award. His first novel, John Crow’s Devil, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for first fiction and the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize, and was a New York Times Editors’ Choice. James divides his time between Minnesota and New York.

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