A Small Gathering of Bones

by Patricia Powell

It's 1978, and Dale Singleton is becoming alarmed as his friend, Ian Kaysen, is afflicted with a mysterious and seemingly untreatable illness characterized by pneumonia, lesions, and dementia. This novel of the first days of AIDS is viscerally affecting, as it conveys the shocked puzzlement of those troubled by Ian's condition while simultaneously documenting Jamaican society's struggle to accept the dignity of gay love. Dale's world collapses, yet his experience of being gay in a middle-class culture circumscribed by church, family, and compulsory heterosexuality is hauntingly memorable-and familiar.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Historical Fiction, School

144 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

Patricia Powell is Professor of English and Director of Creative Writing at Mills College. She is the author four novels, including Me Dying Trial, A Small Gathering of Bones (Beacon Press, 2003), The Pagoda (Harcourt, 1999), and The Fullness of Everything (Peepal Tree Press, 2009).

Excerpts from her novels as well as her short stories have been widely anthologized, and she has lectured and led creative writing workshops in literary venues both nationally and internationally.

In 1993 Powell was a finalist for Granta’s Best of Young American Novelists Award. Among other prizes, she is the recipient of a PEN New England Discovery Award, The Publishing Triangle’s Ferro-Grumley Award for fiction, and The Lila-Wallace Reader’s Digest Writers’ Award. Powell’s fifth novel is forthcoming.

Reviews

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

A few months back, the time between the reopening of used bookstores and the return of the book sales, I sniffed out a promising physical establishment and set it as the site of my monthly treat for myself. Such a ritual ended up being too frequent for someone with as picky tastes as I, but before I decided that the stock didn't refresh often enough for me to, honestly, subject myself to the cramped and craning shelves in pursuit of something intriguing, I accrued a few examples of Heinemann's Caribbean Writers Series imprint, as the time when I stop flinging myself into unknown in pursuit of what I didn't know I needed until I found it will be when I have both feet in the grave. I'm not as militant as I used to be about diving into every work by a woman of color with a sunken average rating that I come across, but with a work such as this with its (honestly mild) dialect (Jamaican patois/patwa, depending on your upbringing), its queer subject material, and its rating count being barely a teardrop in the sea that fuels the average work on this site, it was almost begging for my attention. What I found was a text that struck a confidently evocative balance between love and despair in a culture soaked homeland that would only be "exotic" to those who refused to recognize all that was too familiar, an interweaving of life that painted the physical appearances of characters and the political current of the times with a few quick brushstrokes, but only when it was needed, rather than all dumped in the beginning. My one real complaint is how short this piece is and how quickly it wrenches itself away in its conclusion, but I also recognize how ill fitting an attempted sequel would be. Some tragedies just can't be lived for you.

If someone looks as the words "Jamaican," "queer," "dialect," and starts thinking of this book in terms of Marlon James, they'd be dead wrong in a lot of ways, but not enough that I'd begrudge their attention so long as they had an open mind to go with it. Powell has her own voice when it comes to tackling the trials and tribulations of a young gay man confronting AIDS in late 1970s Jamaica, and these days, I can imagine readers virulently ferreting out every last detail of the author's personal life to see whether she has the "right" to tell the story. For me, it was enough that the main character straddled the line between the fulfillments of the body and the soul in a manner that didn't feel voyeuristic, or grotesque, but simply an evocation of a fully formed human being who enjoyed weaving, aspired towards a degree in Geography, and loved teaching the young, but, thanks to his love for men, is forced to jump through the hoops of predatory relationships, society wide stigmatization, and plagues born of the combination of forces of general socioeconomic marginalization and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". The slimness of the text doesn't prevent it from having a sizable cast of characters with its fair share of a variety of men who love men, which is good for differentiated representation but not so good for my habit of forgoing getting caught up in the soap opera in favor of the themes and individual introspections. In any case, if it wasn't already rather clear, this isn't a text that is going to give you a happy ending, but in terms of catharsis? That's something that I apparently still need more of in my reading life.

I'm not going to do the whole "why isn't everyone reading this author?!?!?!" schtick, cause, honestly, certain types are just never going to acknowledge the hegemony of "standard" English writing practices as a problem, and thus will go into this work like a Karen goes into a Chinese supermarket. However, if some mogul on TikTok or Instagram or whatever dictates the pop culture favorites of the flash in the pan reading market these days wants to set a goal for themselves to read the entire back catalog of the Caribbean Writers Series, I might actually sit up and pay attention to that corner of the Internet chatter for once. Nearly eleven years I've spent on this site, and while the names that crest the top of the top reviewers lists have changed rather significantly, it's the same material being churned through those popular types guts, save with an added dash of whatever 2021 material is being carted out to those faithful supplicants with their award longlists and their small press subscriptions. Much like is the case with "creators" on various streaming sites, oftentimes the recipe for success was to have gotten into the field ten years earlier, for if a work such as this doesn't make the right size splash from the get go, it's not destined to keep pace with either the brand spanking new or the consolidated coterie of "classics" and "good literature." So, while this isn't the best work I've read this year, I'm very interested in reading more of Powell's works, as she's doing interesting things in a locale that I've read some works of but nowhere near enough to cultivate a satisfying amount of familiarity. It unfortunately doesn't look at all likely that she'll be putting forth something to any sort of public acclaim in the near future, but wouldn't it be grand if she did.

[Jarnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

wish this had more eyes on it—great queer caribbean lit and a quick read. could see this working on the stage, strangely

[Shaunee · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give 10 more stars, I would. I first read an excerpt of this in the anthology "Our Caribbean: A gathering of gay and lesbian writing from the Antilles" and was so impressed that I spent weeks trying to track down the book. So glad I did.

Big picture thoughts: Language in general is political and language in Jamaica even more so. Books set in Jamaica and written solely or mainly in English are putting on a performance for non-Jamaicans and it does more harm than good in the long run. We need more books like this that are narrated in patwa and not just with the language present in the dialogue with English narration.

Summary: Dale and Nevin are same sex loving men in Jamaica in the 1970s and the book focuses on the complicated nature of the dissolution of their long term relationship. At the same time, Dale's friend Ian is slowly dying from an unidentified illness (which the reader is probably meant to know is HIV/AIDS) and in his final days, is grappling with faith and the abandonment of his mother.

Powell's characters and the contexts she creates for them are incredibly nuanced. She does such an amazing job of describing the complexity of navigating gayness in Jamaica without having that larger narrative overshadow the individual characters. Can't wait to read more of her work.

[Ellen Sheehan · Rating 3 out of 5]

i actually loved this book but have to downgrade it to "like" status. i read it while taking a class with the author and i was hopelessly enamoured of her. downgrade for bias.

[Judah · Rating 1 out of 5]

a quick read and interesting story, but somehow just didn’t resonate with me in a way that’s actually a little confusing bc for all intents and purposes it’s right up my alley. shrugs. can’t win them all i guess

[Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author captures what I imagine is still true of the queer experience in Jamaica where it is widely not accepted.

I had a tough time with the language of the book, but I understand its necessity in emphasizing the Jamaican literature. It adds to the story line and character of the novel.

[Kathleen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rounded up from 3.5 stars. A slender book, but not a quick read for me (on purpose). I loved reading the Jamaican patois so I took my time with it. I really appreciated the strong sense of place. The ending was terribly SAD and not what I expected; it was too abrupt.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

late 70's gay experience in jamacia

[Charnell Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tshepiso · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

A Small Gathering of Bones was a compelling read. This story is a character-centric drama set on the precipice of the AIDS epidemic in Jamaica. We closely follow Dale, a gay college student in Kingston as he navigates the complexities of toxic romantic relationships, strained familial dynamics and worsening health of a close friend.

This book may not be for everyone. Patricia Powell writes in Jamaican English and while I found her prose melodic and easy to read some may find it jarring. Another hurdle for readers could be Powell's non-linear storytelling. The story is fond of digressions and flashbacks in the middle of scenes which, I will admit, made the story occasionally hard to follow.

However, I found every moment of this book captivating. The novel is a character study so I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for a tightly plotted narrative. Powell does a fantastic job unpacking the psyche of her protagonist. I especially loved how the novel explored the winding arc of Dale's various romantic entanglements. There was an authenticity to the insecurity and loneliness that drove so much of Dale's destructive habits. Powell is especially successful at depicting the nuances of daily life and crafts incredibly engaging personal drama. The thoughtful exploration of power dynamics in families and navigating religious communities as a gay man were also appreciated.

A Small Gathering of Bones is a gripping read. It was filled with fascinating characters and Powell's writing consistently had me on the edge of my seat. It's definitely one of my favourite texts I've had to read for school

[Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about what it was like in Jamaica just as the AIDS epidemic was starting. Men were contracting Lady Windermere Syndrome, which is shown in the opening chapter when Ian can't shake his cough. The characters in this book have no concern with a disease affecting gay men because they are dealing with feelings of shame and conflict with religion; terminal illness isn't on the radar, which is rich for a story, since we know how it all turned out in real life. But to be there when it was happening, at the end of the 1970's, the book gives the sense of a tidal wave coming. It's beautiful because the whole thing is written in Creole. Technically, one can learn how to have a story in the present and go back in time to tell backstory in real time action. It's 137 pages long, but you won't finish it quickly. Aspiring writers should put it on their shelves.

[BookOfCinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a subject that is so taboo I am happy Powell took a stab at it. I can appreciate the story and what she tried to do I just felt that it was poorly written. I am still baffled by what exactly Powell was trying to achieve by using "him" for "he" throughout the book- was it a mistake? Was it a grammatical oversight ALL the time? I also saw where she misspelt a lot of places in Jamaica, again, wasn't there an editor?
All in all, a great stab at a taboo subject.

[Elodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Homosexuality is a huge taboo in the Caribbean and it was refreshing to read a fiction that focus on the matter.It is well written.