The Disappearers

by Marlon James

First published 2026

Booker 2026 · Shortlist

Reception

Rave reviews. 9 of 15 critics gave a rave.

Rave 9 · Positive 4 · Mixed 2 · Pan 0

2026
The Guardian
Reviewed, 24 August
2026
The New York Times
Reviewed, 30 August
2026
Los Angeles Times
Reviewed by Mark Athitakis, 1 September
2026
The New Yorker
Reviewed by Katy Waldman, 7 September

6 more entries

2026
Times Literary Supplement
Reviewed by Damon Galgut, 16 September
2026
London Review of Books
Reviewed by Adam Mars-Jones, 24 September
2026
NPR
Reviewed by John Powers, 25 September
2026
Literary Review
Reviewed by Paul Genders, 1 October
2026
Booker Prize
Shortlist
2026
National Book Award for Fiction
Longlist

Read the 8 reviews

Literary Review · 1 October 2026

Stage Fright

By Paul Genders

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NPR · 25 September 2026

’The Disappearers’ is a fiercely personal novel that hits like a tidal wave

Marlon James’ new novel chronicles the events surrounding a vicious anti-gay attack in Jamaica in the late 1980s. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, The Disappearers churns with passion and ideas.

By John Powers

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London Review of Books · 24 September 2026

Like Buying a Bag of Mints

We are left, a third of the way through The Disappearers, with a feeling of absolute outrage, when outrage is no more than anger in the key of helplessness. Outrage leads nowhere; violence freezes time for the victim; self-hatred paralyses every other emotion. These are all problems for a long…

By Adam Mars-Jones

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Times Literary Supplement · 16 September 2026

A few killings more

Homophobia, violence and closeted lives in 1980s Jamaica

By Damon Galgut

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The New Yorker · 7 September 2026

“The Disappearers” Stages the Pain and Pleasure of Jamaican Gay Life

By Katy Waldman

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Los Angeles Times · 1 September 2026

Marlon James’ most talked-about novel has arrived. It’s driven by a haunting tragedy

Melancholic and unyielding, James’ Booker Prize longlisted new novel, ‘The Disappearers,’ captures a community fighting to exist despite relentless persecution.

By Mark Athitakis

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The New York Times · 30 August 2026

‘The Disappearers,’ by Marlon James

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The Guardian · 24 August 2026

The Disappearers by Marlon James review – a scorching exposé of homophobia in Jamaica

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All 15 reviews on Book Marks

About the book

In 1988, eight men in Kingston, Jamaica, begin rehearsals for a play. The men are strangers to one another and each has a different reason for being involved. But they all share one inescapable truth: all of them are gay – a ‘batty man’ in Jamaican argot – and all of them must contend with the dangers that such a truth lays bare. One night a mob savagely attacks them, killing one of the men. For the survivors, their recovery is as much emotional as it is physical: as their bodies heal, each man must grapple with the violence, the hatred, and the rage that the attack made plain. Some try to ignore what the attack has unearthed, while others double down on retribution. The Disappearers is both a dramatic page-turner and an unflinching exploration of queer life in Jamaica during the 1980s and 1990s.

Read the full description

One night a mob savagely attacks them, killing one of the men. For the survivors, their recovery is as much emotional as it is physical: as their bodies heal, each man must grapple with the violence, the hatred, and the rage that the attack made plain. Some try to ignore what the attack has unearthed, while others double down on retribution.

The Disappearers is both a dramatic page-turner and an unflinching exploration of queer life in Jamaica during the 1980s and 1990s.

Description from Open Library