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Anonymous, Hamel, the Obeah Man, London: Macmillan, 2008, xxvi, 426 pages.
The book Hamel, the Obeah Man (originally published in two volumes in 1827) was recently republished in a new edition by Macmillan as a part of their Caribbean Classics series. The new introduction, written by Amon Saba Saakana, gives the reader an insight into the historical period during which the book's story takes place, and it also proposes theories regarding the identity of the novel's anonymous author. Editor John Gilmore suggests that the book follows the Gothic tradition, its main themes including "perverted faith, lust for power and self-aggrandizement . . . [and] sexual desire for an innocent and virtuous woman" (pp. v-xi).
The story is set in Jamaica in the early 1800s. It is a time of revolt. Early on in the book, we learn that Roland, a Methodist missionary, is conspiring with Hamel, the book's title character, who is an old and wise Obeah man with motives that remain unknown until the end of the book. Roland and Hamel plan to make Combah, the leader of a group of formerly enslaved people, the King of Jamaica. Their plan involves having Combah marry Joanna, the daughter of Mr Guthrie, a White Creole planter, thus taking her as his Queen. Roland, however, also lusts for Joanna, and by virtue of being a true anti-hero, he has several ulterior motives and a dark past.
The first volume of the book...