Delve deep into magical realism

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, by Marlon James, Penguin Random House $38). Reviewed by Felicity Price.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf is more than 600 pages of magical realism that, since it is set in a shadowy form of Africa, might be termed animist realism. It is written by Marlon James who, in 2015, won the Man Booker prize for his A Brief History of Seven Killings .He writes books that might be described as big reads.

Tracker is the hero and is plummeted through all manner of semi-mystical adventures, telling many of the stories-withina-story to an unknown inquisitor. His main confidante and sometime fellow fighter is a sentient leopard that occasionally, when it is useful to him, assumes human form.

Although there are numerous adventurous by-roads in Tracker’s progress, his main quest is for a missing boy, lost somewhere in the magical lands of what is probably West Africa. Throughout his quest, it is difficult for him to know who is telling the truth. Perhaps truth might be an irrelevant or at least a slippery concept in this land.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf seems to be a powerful and important work, but I am not quite sure why or what exactly it achieves. It is not an easy or a straightforward read, although it is an interesting adventure, hinting at important truths and embracing a masterful mixture of myth and storytelling.

It is a compelling, unique novel by a clear master of the language used to express complex and possibly significant ideas. It may be seen as a literary tour de force, but it is one that takes work.