Jamaica

by Malcolm Knox

Six friends head for Jamaica to take part in the Negociate Classic, a notoriously tough and dangerous deep-water swimming race. Beautiful, rich, and favored by fortune, they ooze confidence and success.

Jeremy Hutchison doesn’t belong with these golden people, but his dogged admiration and enthusiasm—not to mention his money—have earned him a place. But beneath the surface this is a group on the edge of crisis—none more so than Jeremy, who is playing for the highest stakes of all. As the race approaches and the tension builds to an excruciating pitch, the friends turn from each other to face the doubts and secrets of their own lives.

Taut and engrossing, this is a compulsive read from an unflinching observer of human folly. But even as Knox peels away the layers and exposes the brutal reality beneath the façade of friendship, he hints at the possibility of human kindness and the redemptive power of love.

Genres: Fiction, Novels

393 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Malcolm Knox was born in 1966. He grew up in Sydney and studied in Sydney and Scotland, where his one-act play, POLEMARCHUS, was performed in St Andrews and Edinburgh. He has worked for the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD since 1994 and his journalism has been published in Australia, Britain, India and the West Indies.

His first novel Summerland was published to great acclaim in the UK, US, Australia and Europe in 2000. In 2001 Malcolm was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Best Young Australian novelists. He lives in Sydney with his wife Wenona, son Callum and daughter Lilian. His most recent novel, A Private Man, was critically acclaimed and was shortlisted for the Commomwealth Prize and the Tasmanian Premier’s Award.

Reviews

[Judith Yeabsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started as a minus. I HATED it and spent the first few chapters arguing with myself as to whether to break my usual resolve and not finish it. Horrible characters. No repulsive is a better word. Too rich and totally self-centred. However, I am shocked that it actually got me hooked towards the end and I really wanted to know what was going to happen and hence the 2 rating. However, overall terrible and the author should definitely win the Orange, Booker and Whitbread for worst metaphors ever !!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of rich Australian middle aged men, and one woman, who have all been friends since childhood go to Jamaica to participate in an ocean swimming race. They are obnoxious, rude, entitled, uncaring and arrogant. They get drunk, do drugs, treat women (although not Janie, their friend) disgustingly and generally make pigs of themselves.

But if you can get over all of that, Knox writes extremely well and the relationships between the men, and their wives to some extent, are quite fascinating. All in all, this will never be a favourite book, but I am not unhappy that I read it!

[Justine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hate the characters and have stopped at page 99 and moved to another of my library books. Uncertain if I will return

[Gavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. An entertaining and enthralling story of a week in Jamaica with 6 thoroughly obnoxious young rich people heading over for an ocean swimming race ("yuppies" in the old terminology). Having worked in investment banking during the 1990s, I felt like I knew them all. And they were so well developed that I disliked them all (although the industrious Bookalil and the only female, Janey, had some redeeming attributes). Wonderfully written. Great sense of Jamaica. Loved this book despite the challenges of reading such awful people doing such awful things to each other and the locals.

[Fee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book that grabs and won't let go.

I found myself comparing this one to "The Slap" and "The Magus" because it was an uncomfortable read. I hated the characters intensely; I didn't want to be "near" them or know anything about their sordid and self-gratifying lives, yet I stayed right there with them in Jamaica and witnessed the unveiling of a horrible secret.

The reason I didn't give this book 5 stars is because I actually didn't like it. But I did like it because it affected me. A good author knows how to do that so that makes it a good book.

Read at your own risk.

[Michael Sanderson-green · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would not have finished this if I wasn't reading it for my book club. The characters have no redeeming features whatsoever ever. I hated the characters so much, attempts at humour we're lost in the hatred of the characters .i think it could work as a movie if you had good actors to give the characters some semblance of humanity that the author failed to in gender. The added bonus of a movie is if you hate it ,it's only 1 1/2 hrs out of your life instead of days reading this dribble.

[Chee Chee]

Some interesting bits on Sydney middle/upper class warfare, but overall a bit overdone.

[Hae-Lyun Kang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Predominantly male centric novel with female characters being peripheral characters once again in another novel of Malcolm Knox. Mr Knox is doing a geographical of water scenery from one location to another. There was not much exploration of culture in visiting Jamaica for a sporting, swimming event. No visitations to any art galleries, museums, shows, concerts or literary events or history talks etc included for the itinerary to tour Jamaica. The male characters are mainly composites of the author himself and he uses other people's identities to disguise his own attitudes and actual behaviour. There is much talk of sexual escapades and conquests that were conquered and explored by Mr Knox himself. The lead up and final outcome of what was meant to be a family crisis wasn't that serious in the end unless one is a major dog lover. It's unusual to spend more than a decade in spending holidays with a family friend then inadvertently become the target of the friend's mother who eventually engages in transgressive behaviour as predatory cougar. If the author desired it then perhaps he was a willing participant and was his friend aware of such an undercurrent of attraction between his mother and his friend. Supposedly besties with one another however not all things are always disclosed from privileged Hut to his so called best friend Nayce who in parts is probably a hybrid between the author and his older brother. What was jarring to read was the lack of sleep and Pen/Penny should have gone to bed straight away. Don't bother worrying about hubby til the following morning as he was busy partying anyway. Some dream scenes could have filled in between the jet lag and arrival of destination instead of being so sleep deprived for 72 hrs straight. Sympathy for Pongrass and Blackman/Bookalil arrived til the very end when they were left stranded at the volcano. Pity there was not much more engagement with zoos and operas and ballets where the men could have engaged with refining their sensibilities. These are people who aren't interested in being part of the Bahai faith, Happy Science or attending Theosophical Society talks or being members of the Mosman art society or be members of the NSW art gallery. Nor attend Biennales, Trieannales etc in being somewhat uncouth in their taste and preferring to be sporty, athletic so as birds of a feather inclined in less cerebral matters. These people would not be caught being involved in political activism or engage in political rallies to support Palestine compared to friend Rosemary. Nor would they vote for the Green Party etc. Perhaps the title of the book should have been Pittwater Revisited or Pittwater Rewind or even Jamaica Sundown to give it more edge etc. Overall somewhat enjoyable read in spite of its' foibles. For Mr Knox to say of black skin being papery is from personal experience in how he likes to do personal research for writing his novels much to his thorough enjoyment - obviously very satisfying for him. Essentially Mr Knox as Nayce is a bystander in relation to Ines and it's atypical to direct one's object of desire of the opposite sex to an adult. Also the drama unfolding for Pongrass to be carried away by ambulance wasn't a major tragedy in the sense that he lost his legs in some disastrous, catastrophic bizarre fireworks disaster. So the climax for the so called fast set with Pongrass wasn't a big deal. The dynamic and communication between Hut and his wife Pen was not altogether forthcoming and upfront and direct which could do with more confronting. It was very much a case of withholding which wasn't resolved fully even in the end but left hanging incomplete. Does a wife call her spouse Hut - I mean really. Mr Knox slipping into male locker room talk there right til the end of this novel Jamaica. As well it's about being cordial and not close with the peers and wives of the peers of Jeremy Hutchinson for his wife Penelope to fume privately that they get imposed on her when she wasn't consulted directly etc. Playing the social game when forced to can have its tests and limits etc, etc.

[Ranjana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. The writing was good but all the male characters were terrible.

[David O'Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[J.D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weren’t the main protagonists obnoxious and abhorrent. The author really didn’t want the reader to like them at all. The obscene rich and entitled Sydneysiders, elite Public School educated, Libertine tosspots that look down on anyone not part of their exclusive clique as unwashed peons. They were impossible to like and Mr. Knox wrote them to perfection. I dug the story and setting he placed them in. It wasn’t moral fortitude that got them through, it was an arrogance that rejects failure, that’s for losers.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn't doing it for me. The blurb makes it sound better than it is. Now that I'm past the halfway point, I may as well finish!