About
Author: Kei Miller (Jamaica)
Genre: Social
Setting
Place: Jamaica
Time: 1980s
My Rating (see what this means)
My Subjective Rating: 3
My ‘Objective’ Rating: 3.04
Introduction
‘Flying’ has multiple meanings in Kei Miller’s book Augustown – but each of these effectively centre around –
The great philosophical question: if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear, does it make a sound? But this is a troubling question, exalting one kind of being above all others. What then of the ears of snakes, or wood frogs, or mice, or bugs? Do they not count? What then of grass, of stone, of earth? Does their witness not matter? If a man flies in Jamaica, and only the poor will admit to seeing it, has he still flown?
The book follows 3 members of a Rastafarian family – Ma Taffy, her niece Gina and Gina’s son, as they navigate poverty and racism in the 1980s Jamaica. There is a sense of Autoclaps (Jamaican word indicating an impending disaster) in the air – and it upends their life just when they were about to fly.
Review
Augustown, a ramshackle neighbourhood sits just outside the Jamaican capital Kingston under the shadows of the more affluent Beverly Hills. Segregation is visible to the naked eye. With a rich cast of characters, we explore the workings of the society – both the evolution as well as the stagnation.
The novel paints an informative picture about Rastafarianism – much needed outside my previous threadbare notions from popular culture. However, still a Wikipedia read was key for me to understand several references in the novel.
The story is simple and tragic. The narrative choices included a non-linear narration, elements of suspense, and mixed narration from a first person and third person narrator. While some of these choices felt unnecessary in a ‘social commentary’ novel, the overall read remained crisp. Chapters centering around secondary characters added a neat short story-esque air to the novel – providing a rich tapestry for Jamaican society.
