SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 BOOKER PRIZE

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2026 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION

“This masterpiece is the novel of the decade, if not the century. . . . Marlon James’s story of gay experience and murderous homophobia in Jamaica is a maximalist’s banquet—and the Booker Prize winner’s finest book yet. . . . One of the signal reading experiences of my adult life. It sank knives deep into my heart. I’m still in recovery from it.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times Book Review

“Galvanizing . . . Equal parts detective story and sociocultural history, James’ new novel takes a deep, harrowing dive into the tragic consequences of violent homophobia . . . with random, frantic voices that leave unsettling echoes.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“Breathtaking . . . an ambitious and astonishing portrait of queer life.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“This language-rich novel is filled with vivid slang. . . . As always, James writes exceptionally well. . . . This book may remind readers of works by John Rechy, Jean Genet, William Burroughs, and Hubert Selby, but James is his own man.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Captivating and epic. . . . James renders his characters’ tumultuous inner lives with striking imagery and energy; their dialogue is rapid, keen and hard-hitting. In all, a gritty, powerful and gripping read.” —Booklist

“The unrelentingly raw and profane vision is enlivened by the energy of the writing.” —The Wall Street Journal

“A harrowing, hilarious, magnificent novel that will stand the test of time. . . . [James] invents his own literary language, horny yet tender, punctuated by puns and music and elegant flourishes. He jolts the narrative sideways and backwards, thumping his suspense line like an expert bassist. . . . His defiant queer epic belongs to us all.” —The Boston Globe

“Marlon James has prodigious creative energy.” —Times Literary Supplement

“The Disappearers offers a big, modernist assemblage of contrasting styles, personas, and points of view. The novel opens up many pleasures for literary readers, in its pacing, in its observations. . . . It’s joy in ultimate survival comes through.” —The Atlantic

“Virtuosic. . . . The strength of the novel—and the source of its melancholy tone—is in its scope.” —Los Angeles Times

“Both a work of fiction and an act of critical fabulation. . . . Without question an excellent book, one that grapples deftly with the stakes of living a full life in a country that would prefer you dead and openly sanctions it. . . . The Disappearers is most exciting to me when I think of it as a provocation to Jamaican audiences.” —Vulture

“Epic, immersive and devastating. . . . Dark as this sounds, The Disappearers isn’t without hope, and not everyone who reckons with its central injustice will be destroyed by it. . . . The masterstroke of The Disappearers is that James lands the finish, a feat of generosity, compassion and, as with the rest of this unforgettable book, unconquerable bravado.” —Slate

“The Disappearers packs a punch. . . . It’s an epic, virtuosic, propulsive performance, alternately hilarious and viscerally horrifying, that returns throughout to the acts of erasure perpetrated against, and forced upon, the men at its heart.” —Daily Mail (UK)

“A writer of extraordinary talent and ambition. . . . If you’re new to James’s work, be ready for a challenging read, but one that will be well worth your time. His style is expansive and freewheeling. . . . James calls the novel his most autobiographical to date, and his great accomplishment here is his generous and honest portrayal of men.” —Irish Times

“The pages of this incomparable epic are fueled by desire and torched by rage.” —Ron Charles via Substack

“Crackling with sass, suspense and scintillation, The Disappearers is Marlon James’s unapologetic and unvanquished masterpiece of queer rage and solidarity.” —Santanu Bhattacharya, author of One Small Voice