John Crow's Devil by Marlon James

This stunning debut novel tells the story of a biblical struggle in a remote Jamaican village in 1957. In the village of Gibbeah—where certain women fly and certain men protect secrets with their lives—magic coexists with religion, and good and evil are never as they seem. In this town, a battle is fought between two men of God. The story begins when a drunkard named Hector Bligh (the "Rum Preacher") is dragged from his pulpit by a man calling himself "Apostle" York. Handsome and brash, York demands a fire-and-brimstone church, but sets in motion a phenomenal and deadly struggle for the soul of Gibbeah itself. John Crow's Devil is a novel about religious mania, redemption, sexual obsession, and the eternal struggle inside all of us between the righteous and the wicked.

Set in Jamaica, 1957, in the village of Gibbeah, and revolves around the Holy Sepulchral Full Gospel Church of St. Thomas Apostolic. In the opening pages, a charismatic stranger arrives, heralded by black vultures (John Crows) crashing into the windows of the church. The stranger, who calls himself Apostle York, drags the alcoholic and off-the-rails preacher, Hector Bligh, from the church, and takes his place - setting off a series of conflicts as the two struggle for power.

Magical realism, Obeah, Old Testament punishments, sex, brutal violence and no shortage of sin.

I was taken with the writing style, and the characters (despite them all being flawed, damaged and unlikeable), and the Jamaican words and phrases were not often hard to understand, although I had to check up on a few as I went.

I don't read a whole lot of fiction, but when I do, I like it gritty. No shortage of grit in this, the first book of the acclaimed Jamaican author Marlon James.

Four stars from me.

Marlon James debut novel. Having read the brilliant A Brief History of Seven Killings this pales in comparison. Be that as it may I enjoyed it. A crazy mix of Jamaican voodoo (Obeah), religious fundamentalism, a fight between good and evil (never sure who or what was good or evil but part of the tale I suppose), lots of violence and fantasy this could make a good film for anyone that likes horror.