The Disappearers
A Novel
Diversified Publishing · Print & ebook · Forthcoming
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 BOOKER PRIZE “Harrowing, hilarious, magnificent …this novel will be read decades from now, pored over in seminars and bookmarked on subway commutes … [James’] defiant queer epic belongs to us all.” –The Boston Globe “Among Marlon James’s most ambitious and history-making works… James is a singular literary talent.” –Booker Prize judge's citation From Marlon James, author of the Booker Prize–winning A Brief History of Seven Killings: the electrifying story of the murder of a gay man in 1980s Jamaica and its far-reaching consequences In 1988, eight men in Kingston, Jamaica, begin rehearsals for a play.
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- Who it’s for
- A crime story set in 1988 Kingston traces violence and its consequences for eight gay men.
- Themes
- Queer life and acceptance, Violence and retribution, Connection amid hatred
- Pacing
- Fast
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LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 BOOKER PRIZE “Harrowing, hilarious, magnificent …this novel will be read decades from now, pored over in seminars and bookmarked on subway commutes … [James’] defiant queer epic belongs to us all.” –The Boston Globe “Among Marlon James’s most ambitious and history-making works… James is a singular literary talent.” –Booker Prize judge's citation From Marlon James, author of the Booker Prize–winning A Brief History of Seven Killings: the electrifying story of the murder of a gay man in 1980s Jamaica and its far-reaching consequences In 1988, eight men in Kingston, Jamaica, begin rehearsals for a play.
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Though strangers to one another, they share an inescapable truth: All of them are gay. And they live in a world that refuses to accept them. One night the men are savagely beaten and one of them is killed. As their bodies heal, the survivors begin to face the hatred and contempt that the violence laid bare. Some try to ignore what happened. Others double down on retribution. Some disappear completely. In this spellbinding novel, Marlon James has written a propulsive crime story that is also a deeply human account of connection and acceptance. Full of fascinating characters, biting humor, and unapologetic sex, The Disappearers is both a thrilling page-turner and a finely etched portrait of queer life.
Kingston Rehearsals
A crime story set in 1988 Kingston traces violence and its consequences for eight gay men.
Come here for
- Eight gay men rehearsing a play in 1988 Kingston
- Violence and its far-reaching consequences
Expect
- A portrait of queer life in Jamaica
- Biting humor alongside hatred, connection, and retribution
Where it sits
| Gay Fiction | 92% |
|---|---|
| Caribbean & West Indies Fiction | 53% |
| Literary Fiction | 46% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Gay Fiction
- Literary Fiction
- Caribbean & West Indies Fiction
- Authors
- Marlon James
- Publisher
- Diversified Publishing
- Published
- Forthcoming
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Queer life and acceptance · Violence and retribution · Connection amid hatred
- Reading lane
- Gay Fiction