Marlon James on (Finally) Writing a Novel That Draws From His Life

Jamaican-born novelist Marlon James has a new book out, and according to Literary Hub, it's his most personal one yet. The Disappearers, just nominated for the Booker Prize, is set in the Kingston of James's own childhood and follows gay men navigating love, secrecy, and violence in Jamaica during the 1980s and 90s. Literary Hub reports that James — known for A Brief History of Seven Killings, winner of the Man Booker Prize a decade ago — spent years on a fantasy trilogy before turning to material drawn directly from his life, including his own experience with bullying and Jamaica's fierce homophobia. He tells the outlet he also interviewed dozens of queer Jamaicans while researching the novel, finding that their real stories were 'stranger and wilder' than anything he could have invented.

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