The Marvellous Equations of the Dread
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The Marvellous Equations of the Dread: a Novel in Bass Riddim is a novel by Jamaican-American writer Marcia Douglas. Originally published through Peepal Tree Press in 2016, the novel was then published on July 31, 2018, through New Directions Publishing.[1] The novel has been described as "experimental" or "prose poetry in novel form".[2]
The novel adopts a "reggae aesthetic",[3] exhibiting numerous aspects of musicality from the intermixing of lyrics and songs into the text, to the "lyrical" language Douglas employs.[2]
Setting
[edit]The novel primarily takes place in Kingston, Jamaica, with particular focus on Half-Way Tree, a road intersection in Kingston characterized by a Victorian era clocktower.[3]
Some chapters and segments also take place in the “Dub-Side,” which in the novel can be understood as the afterlife. Portions of the novel also take place in Xaymaca (Jamaica before its colonization by Spain); London, England; Miami, Florida (the place of Bob Marley’s death);
Plot
[edit]The novel's plot follows a non-linear collage-like structure in order to tell a full, multi-dimensional and multi-generational story of Jamaican resilience in the face of centuries' old colonial devastation.
A large subplot of the novel surrounds Leenah, a Rasta woman who has a romantic relationship with Bob Marley. Leenah experiences and witnesses persisting many colonialism-driven violences bestowed upon Jamaicans.
References
[edit]- ^ "The Marvellous Equations of the Dread". New Directions. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Music and Spirituality: A Conversation with Marcia Douglas". The Rumpus. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
- ^ a b "Woman Power I-Rising from the Page: in Conversation with Marcia Douglas". Pree: Caribbean. Writing. 22 April 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.