The Book of Night Women is a fictional novel by Marlon James. It’s set in his birthplace of Jamaica during slavery, in the 1700s. The scene is Montpelier, a plantation owned by the Wilson family and Coulibre, a plantation owned by the Roget family. The story is told through the perspective of Lilith, one of the house slaves.
If you’ve read the book and are looking for a recap, you can find one here.
In this story, we learn a bit of Jamaican history, of the slave revolutions that occurred, and of the Maroons, slaves who escaped and created their own communities and societies in the hills of Jamaica. James shows us a glimpse of the live of a slave in those days, and of the White “masters” as well.
Homer and the six sisters (including Lilith) are house slaves and so the story mostly focuses on the relationships between the house slaves and between them and their White owners. While we get glimpses into the life of a field slave, those are from afar.
Lilith’s Strength
The thing that struck me in The Book of Night Women is Lilith’s youth. Growing up as a slave on a plantation, I imagine most people would be quite worldly. However, she grew up quite sheltered and when she’s thrust into her role of slave, she’s unprepared for it. She doesn’t quite understand what the other slaves are talking about and she doesn’t know what to think of the things they say and do. She is only 16. Yet, there is a fire in her, a kind of freedom that is not bestowed, a quiet pride that carries her forward.
Lilith say to nobody in particular that scar only make the skin stronger but there be no whip, in hand or in a pants, that going’ knock her down again.
The Writing of Marlon James
The Book of Night Women is only the second book that I’ve read by Marlon James, the first being A Brief History of Seven Killings. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to read this book because I previous one was difficult for me to read. Although I recommended it to my book club, I had not read it and everyone struggled to make it through the book. While I have some familiarity with Jamaican patois, the language was a challenge for that and for the vulgarity.
I find James’s writing to be stark, the language as much a part of the story as the words. He doesn’t choose pretty words; he doesn’t dress them up. I don’t know how accurate it is of the times, of the people, but I find the effect quite jarring. What you get is language that abrades, that makes you pay attention and disallows any hiding.
Magical Realism
Magical realism shows up multiple times in this book. I don’t have much experience with magical realism. The first book where I learned the turn was Exit West (which I loved). Here, it’s entangled with Obeah and perhaps premonition. Lilith gets visited by “the dark woman”, either a premonition or a confirmation of death throughout the book, the first time after Andromeda is killed, and the last time during the revolution, after Robert Quinn is killed.
The Book of Night Women
Lilith says “every negro walks in a circle”. However, Homer and the night women are determined to break that circle. They need the men’s help but worry that the men can’t do anything right, and especially can’t keep secrets. When the horn blows, chaos erupts at Montpelier. When everything dies down, no one is unaffected.
I enjoyed reading this story. The pidgin English could be difficult for some but growing up in the Caribbean, it was somehow familiar to me. The vulgarity was more challenging as I seldom swear and rarely spend time with other people who do. However, the story is compelling, watching Lilith stumble about and then catch herself.
How much of who we are is determined by the circumstances we are born with and our own choices? I found myself in turns annoyed by Lilith, shocked by her, and rooting for her. This made me wonder how do you compare wrongs, and can there be any innocence in a society built on slavery?
Be First to Comment