See Now Then

A Novel

By: Jamaica Kincaid

Narrated by: Jamaica Kincaid

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

In See Now Then, the brilliant and evocative new novel from Jamaica Kincaid (her first in 10 years), a marriage is revealed in all its joys and agonies. This piercing examination of the manifold ways in which the passing of time operates on the human consciousness unfolds gracefully, and Kincaid inhabits each of her characters - a mother, father, and two children living in a small village in New England - as they move, in their own minds, between the present, the past, and the future. For, as she writes, "the present will be a now then and the past is now then and the future will be a now then." Her characters, constrained by the world, despair in their domestic situations. But their minds wander, trying to make linear sense of what is, in fact, nonlinear.

See Now Then is Kincaid’s attempt to make clear what is unclear, and to make unclear what we assumed was clear: that is, the beginning, the middle, and the end. Since the publication of her first short story collection, At the Bottom of the River, nominated for a PEN / Faulkner Award for fiction, Jamaica Kincaid has demonstrated a unique talent for seeing beyond and through the surface of things. In See Now Then, she envelops the listener in a world that is both familiar and startling - creating her most emotionally and thematically daring work yet.

©2013 Jamaica Kincaid (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Talk About "Character-Driven"

Kincaid has done away with any real semblance of plot in this masterful, stream-of-consciousness "rant" about a marriage gone downhill. She has an endearing slant on southern Vermont and its inhabitants, and there's a lot of humor in this book, and some "ha ha" moments, even though the subject is actually sad and hopeless. Kincaid's narration adds authenticity to the narration. I enjoyed the story but by the end I'd had enough.

Unrelenting vivid, nearly nauseating descriptions.

It is a stellarly unique book, unflinching and raw. Not much happens, but everything happens. The prose reads more like litany, which can become difficult after a while, but I'm glad I finished it.

She should never read her works aloud!

Would you try another book from Jamaica Kincaid and/or Jamaica Kincaid?

The story was ok. I just had to read it instead of listen. Ms. Kincaid's voice and intonation made it painful to listen to the book.

Would you be willing to try another one of Jamaica Kincaid’s performances?

NO!

Couldn’t get past narration

I was really excited to read this book. I am a fan of Jamaica conference work. But unfortunately, the narration made it hard to follow the story. I just kept falling asleep

Could Not Listen to This One

What would have made See Now Then better?

Oh, dear...it was a little hard to follow, and I was alone in the car, driving a long distance, so it shouldn't have been. Plus I simply did not connect with the characters at ALL. I returned it to Audible and got another book that was more suited to me.

What was most disappointing about Jamaica Kincaid’s story?

I thought it sounded good and was ready to listen to it for a 3-day drive...

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was fine.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from See Now Then?

I did not get very far before I realized I really did not want to hear this story. I did not finish it.