This is a dark, harrowing,compelling read; almost a social document in the way it raises the issues of slavery and class distinction. It gives the reader an unsentimental picture of life on a Jamaican sugar plantation at the turn of the 18th century.
The voice of the story is Lilith, a vain and headstrong black-skinned, green-eyed slave fathered by Wilkins the white overseer. Her mother dies in childbirth and Lilith is farmed out to an uncaring family. Despite this unpromising beginning to her life, Lilith considers herself to be above the other slaves and spends her childhood isolated and friendless, eventually being sent to work in the kitchens beneath Homer, the head house slave, where Lilith joins the Night Women, a clandestine band of half sisters also fathered by Wilkins, who are planning an island-wide revolt.
Homer's invitation does not please everyone, as Lilith's attitude provokes petty jealousies causing trouble between the other kitchen slaves, and things start to spiral out of control, pushing Homer's manipulative influences to their very limits. Revenge, black magic and witchcraft come to the fore and those around Lilith begin to realise the depth of her powers, and plot how to use them for their own ends. Lilith's story is entwined with the lives of the white people: the mistress of Montpelier, who Homer keeps on the edge of madness with her potions and poisons; Humphrey Wilson, the young master, brought home by family obligations; and Quinn, who is acting as Humphrey's estate overseer, a fact which does not please Wilkins. As a mulatto, Lilith's allegiances are divided between the Night Women and the white people at the house, especially Miss Isobel, whose secret she has been entrusted with.
The story has a violent and disturbing climax when Lilith becomes the lynchpin that can either help or hinder the revolution, her emotions and loyalties are torn between her sisters and the white man who has already given her a different kind of freedom, even though Lilith cannot see an end to slavery without the intervention of God. Marlon James shows us the prejudices and racist overtures, not only between the black and white people, but how the house slaves look down on the field workers, and the shocking lack of respect between the men and women. This is mirrored within the relationships of the white people. Quinn feels he is treated almost as badly as a slave due to his Irish parentage, and despite a lack of neighbours and a proper society, there are rules that a young lady should not overstep when in pursuit of a husband. These issues affected us all greatly.
James's writing has inevitably been compared to Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Alex Haley and Mark Twain, and on his website there is an interview in which he admits to some of these influences. The book is written using the words and phrases James imagines were in use in the late 1700s, and during the interview admits he had to get over his own prejudices regarding the language. We all agreed that this is a powerful and complex story with the different voices and accents between the characters beautifully written, resulting in some of us feeling that we could identify with Lilith. This isn't the easiest book to read in both senses, it is written in Lilith's patois and more than one of us admitted to having to read sentences out loud in order to grasp the meaning. The brutal scenes of torture, whippings, murder and rape can be shocking and unsettling, but it is a story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
Review authored by Dianne Blashill
HB - Oneworld - £12.99
ISBN 9781851687084
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