Augustown by Kei Miller is one of my favourite stories, I just love everything about it. I’m probably not even going to be able to do Kei Miller justice in this post because it’s been two years since I read it. It was my first Instagram buddy read. It was also through this book that I learned what “Spanish Town” means!
I love the folklore of it. I can honestly imagine sitting with my Grandad on the steps outside and listening to him tell this story on a hot day. I really think I have heard the myth about people floating up to the sky before but I can’t remember where. It’s based on the teachings of Alexander Bedward – a real life Jamaican preacher who convinced his followers they could liberate themselves by flying up into the heavens if they climbed into a breadfruit tree in August Town. Kei Miller creates a vibrant fictional version of Augustown, bringing to life the struggles of Ma Taffy’s family and those of the neighbourhood’s inhabitants.
From Publisher, Weidenfeld and Nicolson:
One April day in Augustown, Jamaica. Ma Taffy, old and blind, sits in her usual spot on the veranda. No matter how the world tilts around her, come hurricane or riot, she knows everything that goes on in this small community. Which is why, when her six-year-old nephew returns home from school with his dreadlocks shorn, she realises that trouble won’t be far behind. And so she tells him the story of Alexander Bedward, the flying preacherman. She remembers what happened to the Rastaman and his helper, Bongo Moody; she thinks of Soft-Paw, the leader of the Angola gang, and what lies beneath her house. For trouble is brewing once more among the ramshackle lanes of Augustown, and as Ma Taffy knows, each day contains much more than its own hours, or minutes, or seconds. In fact, each day contains all of history
I love that it’s so entertaining but Miller also managed to make an effective social commentary about class hierarchy in Jamaica- and ultimately everywhere. Loved the idea of a myth as apocalyptic as the ‘autoclaps’ that slowly becomes believable.
Even though it’s not a long book, the characters are so strong that they stand on their own, especially Gina and Ma Taffy. It is quite character driven. A newspaper review of this I read described the story as ‘panoramic’ and I can’t think of a better word. The characters and storylines tie together so well. This is a book I would recommend with no hesitation.
I recently got The Last Warner Woman, which I’m hoping will have a similar style of story telling
Augustown by Kei Miller was published by W&N in 2016
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