"More recently celebrated for his masterpiece A Brief History of Seven Killings, James has created in this lesser known book a deeply personal view of Jamaican slavery. Set from a decidedly female perspective, The Book of Night Women takes you into domestic spaces, seduces you into understanding the very real conflicts and emotions behind charged and savage sexual encounters between slaves and masters, and dissects the negotiations of power within those relationships."

"I used to want ‘Primavera’ by Ludovico Einaudi played, but I realised it’s used on an advert for a horrible bank. I don’t want everyone sitting there in the pews thinking of fucking Santander! So now I want ‘Metamorphosis One’ by Philip Glass. I don’t want anything with lyrics. A beautiful piece of instrumental music communicates your emotions in a way words never can. ‘Metamorphosis One’ has a dry melancholy to it that’s also uplifting"