[3] The novel has five sections, each named after a musical track and covering the events of a single day: The first part of the novel is set in Kingston, Jamaica, in the build-up to the Smile Jamaica Concert held on 5 December 1976, and describes politically motivated violence between gangs associated with the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the People's National Party (PNP), especially in the West Kingston neighbourhoods of Tivoli Gardens and Matthews Lane (renamed in the novel as Copenhagen City and Eight Lanes),[4] including involvement of the CIA in the Jamaican politics of the time.

As well as Marley (who is referred to as "the Singer" throughout), other real-life characters depicted or fictionalized in the book include Kingston gangsters Winston "Burry Boy" Blake and George "Feathermop" Spence, Claude Massop and Lester Lloyd Coke (Jim Brown) of the JLP and Aston Thomson (Buckie Marshall) of the PNP.

[5] James' novel was praised for its mastery of voice and genre, encompassing historical epic, spy novel, gang thriller and mythical saga all at once.

[7] On the January/February 2015 issue of Bookmarks, the book received (3.5 out of 5) stars, with the critical summary saying, "Nonetheless, those with "stout heart[s], strong stomach[s] and prodigious powers of concentration" will find much to admire in James's demanding third novel (Minneapolis Star Tribune)".

In a podcast interview, James said he spent part of the £50,000 Booker Prize money on a lamp in the shape of a life-size horse.