by Marlon James
Riverhead Books
9/1/2026, hardcover
SKU: 9780593717202
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. 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.
Reviews:
"Hard to put down... A good book can lift your spirits, brighten your day or add some spice to a dull life, but the truly great books change how you think, what you see and, hopefully, how you live. The Disappearers is one of those." -- Book Page (starred review)
"Breathtaking ... an ambitious and astonishing portrait of queer life." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"It's part page-turning crime novel, part touching ode to queer friendship and absolutely stunning. James's latest masterpiece should be required reading." --People
"Told through a number of different media, including journals, letters, and a chorus of frenzied voices that are punctuated by slang, the effect is evocative and chilling. An explosive read, brimming with rage." -- Elle
"Epic, immersive, and devastating ... The Disappearers isn't without hope, and not everyone who reckons with its central injustice will be destroyed by it. How could a novel so crammed with the painful messiness of identity and rage and carnality ever reach a satisfying resolution? The masterstroke of The Disappearers is that James lands the finish, a feat of generosity, compassion, and, as with the rest of this unforgettable book, unconquerable bravado." --Slate
About the Author:
Marlon James is the Booker Prize-winning and New York Times bestselling author of A Brief History of Seven Killings; the bestselling and National Book Award finalist Black Leopard, Red Wolf; as well as the bestselling Moon Witch, Spider King; The Book of Night Women; and John Crow's Devil. In addition to the Booker Prize, James's novels have won the American Book Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and the Los Angeles Times Ray Bradbury Prize for Science Fiction, and have been finalists for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the NAACP Image Award. The recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and named in 2019 one of Time magazine's one hundred most influential people in the world, James lives in New York City.