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The Book of Night Women by Marlon James

12/29/2009

 
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The Book of Night Women is my absolute favorite read of 2009. The author, Marlon James, tells the story of Lilith who's the daughter of a young female slave and a white overseer. She's born on a Jamaican sugar cane plantation in the 18th century and is deemed somewhat special from the onset. As she grows up, she becomes acquainted with Homer, a house slave able to read and who recognizes that she may be the key to an insurrection ten years in the making. As Lilith grows into a young woman, she becomes more aware and fearful of a "darkness" present within herself. This darkness she will have to choose to embrace or suppress.

I absolutely love this book. I was ready to re-read it almost immediately. The author, a man, has done a wonderful job of writing women characters that are real women. They each have their own voice and personality and none are too passive or aggressive. He writes all the characters well, for that matter. They are all so human. The whites who are upholding slavery are obviously flawed but not just because they uphold a system of treating people like chattel, but also because some of them can't even keep up the charade of heartlessness. James makes strong use of the patois dialect and the dialogue between characters was often crass and vulgar. For me, there was quite a bit of nervous laughter while reading this book and I never got completely comfortable with the harsh language. But, I think this is good as it exemplifies how well paced the novel is and how Marlon James is a master story teller. No matter what was said and how it was said, I was completely engrossed in the narrative.

The idea that a group of women could come together to attempt something so dangerous and requiring such cunning and craftiness makes the story appealing. It was refreshing to read a story of plantation life that didn't depict the women as all merely helpless creatures susceptible to being ravished by any and every man. This does occur but these women are not afraid to take control be it through physical violent recourse or Obeah. Elements like Obeah, patois dialect, and maroon communities in cooperation with slave owners made for a rich tale of Jamaican plantation life. The most important element were these women who were bound in body but not in mind and spirit.

Challenges:
Women Unbound


Deborah link
12/29/2009 16:01:08

Whew! You are braver than I am to want to jump right back into this one! Like you, I found the language pretty tough sometimes. Still, I think James is a beautiful writer. I love how he pushes us as readers. In some ways he reminded me of Octavia Butler for how he blows out the boundaries. I read the book back in August. Here is a link to what I said then: http://www.graysonstudios.com/blog/2009/09/08/book-review-the-book-of-night-women/. UrbanWildflower

Danielle link
12/29/2009 22:23:36

I'm glad to see that someone else has read and enjoyed this book. I read it recently and enjoyed it too. It was refreshing to see women living in the context of slavery portrayed in many different lights. I felt that for once in a narrative we could really experience what it might have been like, the harsh along with the sweet, that these women and men have faces and stories.

Beverly
12/30/2009 18:56:18

This is also my top read for 2009. I read this book when it first came out and I have been recommending ever since. Yes, the language is raw but then slavery is raw and at times we need to be reminded just how raw and inhuman it was.

Eva link
1/1/2010 09:22:16

I LOVED this one too, and I'm so sad that I didn't review it. :/ This happens to me sometimes...I love a book so much I get overwhelmed by the idea of writing about it. But I included it in my best-of list.

And I was blown away by how well a male author wrote female characters. :D

Jodie link
1/4/2010 09:55:11

Thanks for this, just couldn't decide whether to try this one or not. You know when a book has a provocative title and you're not sure if it will just be all about the shock value but you really fancy the subject matter?

BrownGirl
1/4/2010 12:01:36

Jodie, I do know what you mean. This book is so not hyped by an intriguing title. It's a must read for sure.

I'm glad the rest of you ladies enjoyed this book as well. And Eva, I think that was the driving force of this novel- James' ability to write women so well especially in this setting.

Sakura link
4/1/2010 10:41:21

I've seen several reviews of this book but yours has finally convinced me that I need to read this. I haven't read any books about slavery for many, many years (I read Roots when I was little and I think it hit me a bit too hard). I also really liked your post on Ar'n't I a Woman? by Deborah Gray White which is also going on my wishlist. You have a great blog here!


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