Marlon James, the acclaimed Jamaican author and winner of the 2015 Booker Prize for "A Brief History of Seven Killings," has returned with his latest novel, "The Disappearers," a complex and expansive work set primarily in Kingston, Jamaica, from 1988 to 2005. Published recently and longlisted for the Booker Prize, this 600-page novel explores the clandestine lives of gay men in a society marked by pervasive homophobia and violence.

James, who now resides in the United States, left Jamaica in 2007 after accepting a teaching position in Minnesota, partly motivated by a desire to live openly as a gay man. Although he has stated he never faced direct physical threats in Jamaica, he acknowledges the country’s hostile cultural environment. Consensual same-sex relations remain punishable by up to 10 years in prison under Jamaican law, and public attitudes are shaped by entrenched discrimination and aggressive anti-gay rhetoric, especially in the dancehall music scene.

"The Disappearers" centers on a group of gay men who come together covertly to produce a play within the novel’s narrative, drawing on the real-world context of Jamaica’s underground gay culture and the invisibility imposed by mainstream society. The play they rehearse, "Fortune and Men’s Eyes," is set in a prison and delves into masculine sexualities that flourish behind bars but are taboo outside. The novel incorporates multiple narrative styles—including diary entries, police reports, and letters—to provide diverse perspectives on the characters’ experiences, reflecting James’s admiration for stories told from varied viewpoints.

The political backdrop of the book includes a Jamaica emerging from intense violence in the 1980s, with a social climate increasingly saturated by homophobia. James traces the dramatic decline of gay social spaces, such as bars and clubs, attributing their disappearance to a combination of AIDS-related fear, religious condemnation, and the stigmatizing influence of homophobic reggae and dancehall music.

Despite the novel’s often brutal and violent depictions—including a harrowing mob attack on the rehearsal space that results in serious injuries and death—James’s prose also conveys tenderness and complexity. His depiction of sexuality is candid yet measured, aiming to strike a balance between frankness and narrative restraint. The novel is notable for its exploration of themes such as disappearance, loss, and the struggle for identity within a society that marginalizes queer existence.

James’s own life experiences inform the novel’s emotional core, although he stresses that it is not autobiographical. Born in 1970 to parents who worked in the police force and raised in Kingston, he studied literature at the University of the West Indies. Coming out to his family remains an unresolved topic—his mother reportedly learned of his sexuality through a newspaper article rather than directly from him. James reflects on the complicated relationship with religion, describing both early church experiences that brought a fleeting sense of relief and a later decision to distance himself from institutional faith.

Currently, James balances his connection to Jamaica with his residence abroad. He describes the present-day situation as a mixture of progress and ongoing challenges, noting that while he personally feels relatively safe in Jamaica, many others still face daily threats and migrate abroad seeking asylum.

Published by Hamish Hamilton, "The Disappearers" offers a vivid and multifaceted portrayal of Jamaica’s queer history, marked by both societal repression and acts of resilience, and underscores the enduring complexities of identity, secrecy, and survival.