Marlon James, the first Jamaican author to win the Booker Prize, brings his new novel to Coral Gables on Saturday.

James will discuss "The Disappearers" in conversation with University of Miami English professor Kei Miller at 5 p.m. at Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ, 3010 De Soto Blvd., according to Gables Gazette. Books & Books is presenting the event in partnership with SAVE, the Miami-based LGBTQ advocacy group founded in 1993.

About the novel

The 640-page novel, published Sept. 1 by Riverhead Books, has been longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. James won the award in 2015 for "A Brief History of Seven Killings."

"The Disappearers" opens in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1988. Eight men who are strangers to one another gather to rehearse a play. A mob attacks the group, beating the men and killing one. The novel follows the survivors through the aftermath.

James on the story's origins

James, who grew up gay and closeted in Kingston in the 1970s, '80s and '90s, told The New York Times the book concerns "the price you pay, eventually and day to day, for the simple act of being yourself."

In a Booker Prize interview in August, he said the premise grew from reports of a violent episode that was rumored but never proved. "Fiction is ideally placed to bring what might be a closed-off chapter right into the open," James said.

Critical reception

The critical response has been strong. The New York Times critic Dwight Garner called it "the novel of the decade and possibly of the century thus far" in an Aug. 30 review. Library Journal and Kirkus gave it starred reviews.

Who's moderating the discussion

Miller, James's conversation partner Saturday, is a Jamaican poet, novelist and essayist whose poetry collection "The Cartographer Tries to Map a Way to Zion" won the Forward Prize. Both writers have built careers exploring identity, history and the Caribbean.

Tour stops and ticket details

The Coral Gables stop is part of a national book tour. James appeared in Gainesville on Friday and continues to Greenville, South Carolina, Brooklyn and Washington afterward.

A $32 ticket plus tax admits two guests and includes one copy of "The Disappearers." Limited free admission is available for one guest without a book. The Booker shortlist is scheduled to be announced Sept. 22.