Brother Man - finally read after 7 years

Brother Man by Roger Mais

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The story of a collection of lives in a Kingston, Jamaica working class community set in the 1950s. We feel the impact of the coastal environment, and how much of life is lived in the streets. Almost nothing can be kept a secret, but yet, the truth can still be hidden if you do not want to see.
The author presents us with hopelessness and also hope.

As with many Jamaican works of fiction, the role of mother is very important to the story. The role of the state in the this story is that of the police.

I am quite surprised that this was a literature book in secondary schools. As such, Brother Man calls out the lie that has been told abroad that Jamaican schools did not have Caribbean literature on the reading lists and Literature syllabus.



View all my reviews