A Brief History of Seven Killings

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Have you ever had a personal interaction with a celebrity? Share whether the encounter reinforced that celebrity’s public image or if you learned something about their private character.

2. The novel explores factionalism and the conflict it engenders. What examples of factionalism have you encountered in your own communities?

3. Are you or is anyone you know a member of a diaspora? What factors led to their departure from their country of origin? How have they adjusted to life in their new country?

4. Nina is characterized by her resistance to learning about politics. How often do you think about politics? Is thinking about politics futile or does it mobilize you to be a more active member of your community?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Discuss how the novel compares the gang war in Kingston with the other proxy conflicts that occurred in the Cold War. What are the differences between these conflicts? What are the similarities? What is James saying about the relationship between imperialism and criminal violence?

2. How do Weeper and John-John K’s attitudes of loneliness, nostalgia, and fear reflect the experience of gay men during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s? How does their encounter comment on this event and related social issues?

3. What role does culture play in shaping in a nation? Consider the way the Singer’s posthumous legacy is co-opted by various groups to advance their own agenda.

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Compare and contrast the narrative voices of Bam-Bam and Demus. What rhetorical devices and techniques does James employ to differentiate them? Suggest why the author felt it was necessary to explore the events of the ambush entirely from their perspectives.

2. Discuss James’ decision to refer to Bob Marley almost exclusively as “The Singer.” How did this authorial choice affect Marley’s function in the book? What does it mean for the novel’s major characters to refer to him this way, rather than by name? Consider as well the fact that some of the narrators address their stories to the Singer. Why might they be telling him their stories?

3. Draw parallels between the characters of Nina and Josey. Although they only interact once in the novel, how do their motivations align? What do they each hope to achieve by moving to the United States?

4. How do the novel’s many voices affect narrative reliability? Consider this against Alex’s attempt to come up with an official narrative of events, or Nina’s desire to suppress her memories. How do these tensions develop the novel’s themes of memory, history, and obscurity?