A Brief History of Seven Killings

Wed Feb 3 15:21:19 CST 2016

The As I Lay Dying comparison occurred to me as I was reading it as well.  
And to Faulkner more generally.

Ray
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On February 3, 2016 3:10:37 PM Becky Lindroos <bekker2 at icloud.com> wrote:

> I don’t know now!  I just got the ebook out and started reading and I now 
> don’t know what my problem was.   It’s pretty easy compared to some Youtube 
> videos using Jamaican patois.   But I went back and saw that I purchased 
> the ebook on  August 12 and the Audio version on August 20.   Maybe I just 
> wanted to hear it?  - ??
>
> Aha!   The following passage is from my blog review and I see where I did 
> get used to the patois and ended up reading more than listening - loved it.
>
> "The language is lyrical, breezy and heavily vernacular with no apparent 
> limit on the swearing or graphic descriptions of drug use and violence.  
> Trying to read patois is why I got the audio book (and it has great reviews 
> at Audible).  Still, it took several chapters to get past that but I ended 
> up reading as much or more than listening because when I did get the rhythm 
> and the flow I understood why one reviewer called James the Faulkner of 
> Jamaica.  He even went so far as to  compare A Brief History of Seven 
> Killings to The Sound and the Fury.  I don’t know as I’d go that far,  but 
> it’s in the ballpark – As I Lay Dying might be a lot more like it – or 
> Libra by Don DeLillo.”
>
> https://beckylindroos.wordpress.com/082015-2/a-brief-history-of-seven-killings/
>
> Becky
>
>> On Feb 3, 2016, at 7:34 AM, Keith Davis <kbob42 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> When you say you're not familiar with spoken language, do you mean these 
>> particular languages that are dealt with in these particular books? You 
>> don't have the same issue reading the language you're familiar with? I 
>> think that's the point, that someone familiar with the actual sound and 
>> rhythm of the language might be as distracted by the watering down as much 
>> as you are distracted by the native elements that are included.
>>
>> Www.innergroovemusic.com
>>
>>> On Feb 3, 2016, at 9:09 AM, Becky Lindroos <bekker2 at icloud.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> It may be my problem though, whether I’m a skilled reader or not.  I had 
>>> the same problem with the center section of Cloud Atlas (with the South 
>>> Pacific accent). I got an Audible version and totally hooked in.   I think 
>>> when I read I try to get the rhythm of the spoken language in there - not 
>>> just the sounds - and I’m really not familiar enough with spoken language 
>>> to get that rhythmic experience when trying to decipher the phonics of it.  
>>> (I’m better now having listened to 26 hours of 7 Killings!)
>>>
>>> Also - I needed the print book for the cast of characters and just 
>>> following along quite a lot -   I really enjoyed that book - definitely the 
>>> winner of the Man Booker.
>>>
>>> Becky
>>>
>>>> On Feb 3, 2016, at 5:44 AM, Keith Davis <kbob42 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I suspect that's why he wrote it the way he did. It has enough real patois 
>>>> to give it some flavor, but not so much that it's incomprehensible to those 
>>>> who aren't familiar with it. Since you still had trouble with it, and 
>>>> you're a skilled reader, I would have to question his judgement on that point.
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>
>>>>> On Feb 3, 2016, at 8:30 AM, Becky Lindroos <bekker2 at icloud.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> I read it but I also listened to the Audible version because the patois was 
>>>>> so hard for me to grasp.  I was so involved with getting the words 
>>>>> pronounced right I lost the flow.  The Audible version brought it to life - 
>>>>> gave it the speed and rhythm it needed and it sounded great to my 
>>>>> California ears -
>>>>>
>>>>> Becky
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Feb 2, 2016, at 11:30 PM, Jemmy Bloocher <jbloocher at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm also just at the beginning of this, just shy of your 50 and I agree. At 
>>>>>> least when my Jamaican friend speaks to other Jamaicans I don't understand 
>>>>>> anything (or very little) and I don't have trouble with this. A necessity I 
>>>>>> think. When my friend speaks to me she speaks entirely in English. Now I 
>>>>>> write this it all seems rather contrived modifying in novel form.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 3 Feb 2016 04:32, "Keith Davis" <kbob42 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Probably sounds stupid and arrogant. He's the Jamaican, not me, and it t 
>>>>>> does flow. Anybody else read it yet?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Feb 2, 2016, at 11:19 PM, Keith Davis <kbob42 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> With the gift card my son gave me for Christmas, I bought this book, and 
>>>>>>> have delayed gratification as long as possible. I'm about 50 pages in, and 
>>>>>>> I dig it, but I have one comment, which I reserve the right to back off of 
>>>>>>> or see corrected. He's sometimes writing in patois, which is hip, and which 
>>>>>>> those who speak it seem to be able to adjust according to how much they 
>>>>>>> want you to get it, if my own experience is to be relied upon. Even so, it 
>>>>>>> seem like mon white up de patois to mak im mo ez...I can dig it, it can be 
>>>>>>> unintelligible. Just my observation at an early point. It just seems a 
>>>>>>> little uneven or unauthentic. Maybe his characters actually sound like that...
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>>>> -
>>>>>> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?listpynchon-l
>>>> -
>>>> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
>>>
>
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