The Disappearers

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Marlon James's return to the Jamaica of his Booker Prize-winning A Brief History of Seven Killings, a place of heat and chaos, and of danger for anyone outside the heteronormal.

So when eight gay men meet for the first time, in Kingston in 1988, answering the casting call for an openly queer play, they are already taking a big risk. But that is nothing compared to what rains down on them when a mob descends on one of their rehearsals. By the end of this night, one man is dead, all are injured, and two subsequently disappear.

As the survivors heal, each man finds he must confront the bigotry and homophobia that the attack laid bare. Some try to forget; some embrace their rage; and some simply vanish, but all are forever scarred. As one of the victims puts it, 'there's a difference between when something ends and when something stops'.

'This masterpiece is the novel of the decade, if not the century' New York Times

Author: Marlon James

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2026

Published on 3 Sep 2026 by Hamish Hamilton.