Gary R Hamilton Books
Unleash the magic of reading

Gary Hamilton is my nephew. Born in England of Jamaican parents, at nine years old, as he accurately reports, teachers at the school he attended in London concluded that he had no future in academics. I vividly recall a visit to London, where my sister, Marjorie, and brother-in-law Hector, discussed this assessment with me, the teacher. They shared their intention to return to Jamaica so that Gary could receive better schooling. What was very disturbing was being hit smack in the face with the phenomenon of children of Caribbean parents being categorised as ‘educationally sub-normal’ for no other reason than race. 

Gary was given no special treatment in Jamaica other than being enrolled in the same school his cousins, or his age group, attended. In two years, he sat the Common Entrance Examination, gained a place at the oldest and one of the best high schools in Jamaica at which he did the Cambridge University ‘O’ and ‘A’ Levels examinations. These allowed him to matriculate, major and graduate with a B Sc in Physics and Computer Science from the University of the West Indies, Mona. After about thirteen years working experience in Jamaica Gary returned to England. He gained employment in a major multinational IT company and within another few years was named Employee of the Year for Europe and North Africa. Such is the magnitude of the difference in educational assessment of potential, blinkered by race, and potential, inspired by the expectations of a culture embracing common humanity.

Continuing trailblazing success, and rising in designation to Senior Cloud Architect, as the digital revolution dazzled in frenetic speed, Gary published The Fixer. This surprised me, but not in the title. By nature, Gary is a listener, a problem solver, and fixer. So, when I first heard of his book, I thought that this was an autobiography. I got it and found it was a novel, fiction. This was the creative side of Gary that I had not known or expected. A damsel in distress born of naivety, rescued from a criminal enterprise by hero of which little is known made interesting reading after several sessions. The unreality for me was that I had never known of Jamaicans trading in diamonds. I read a lot, but fiction is not my thing.

Daydreamers, pardoned the mix metaphor, is a horse of a very different colour. I started reading Daydreamers, after breakfast on a Saturday morning on a weekend when my wife and daughter were away. The plan was to make a start, do a few chores, sleep and take it easy after a hectic week. I started to read and literally could not put Daydreamers down. Chores were left undone. Sleep was sabotaged. When I read the last page, and glanced at the time, it was minutes after 4.00 am on Sunday morning.

What kept me engaged was the disconnect between what I knew for certain and what was entirely new to me. What’s next, prompted compulsive engagement. I certainly know Acai Maj by its real name. I know the Kennington family by its real name. The same is true about the Investigate Journalist, Sean his grandson, the strict surgeon Mother, and Margaret the supportive grandmother. I can even make a very good guess of the real name of jokester cousin. Most of all I am more than very aware of values of the Kennington’s family that informs Daydreamers. I am a member of that family.

What was entirely new to me was the slew of major characters that are integral to the storyline of this suspense thriller. I will not name them because that could undermine sales and reading the book. However, from my perspective most of these characters are figments of the fertile imagination of the author. Most strange to me is the described mystical connection between the Investigative Journalist and Sean through dreams and other supernatural means that also informs the entire novel.

Then there are the occasional outbursts of Jamaican obscene language otherwise known as four-letter words. The disclaimer must be made that this is uncommon practice of the author and family to which he belongs. The courage to incorporate such language speaks to the determination to make fiction match reality. For those unfamiliar with the Caribbean, the Jamaican vocabulary of ‘bad words’ is not only the widest in the region but among the most varied globally. It is the opposite of one four-letter word repeated ad nauseum. The Jamaican vocabulary includes three-letter words, four-letter words and five-letter words. The five-letter words are about fabric, that is, different types of cloths. When these three, four, and five-letter words are combined to form sentences, emotive expressions often rise to the level of poetry. I had no idea that my nephew had acquired such eloquence.

I strive against impulse behaviour and being razzle dazzled by emotion. So, after a while I decided to read Daydreamers a second time in a more measured and analytical manner. Then I found that the book has 80 Chapters. The novel is rooted in Jamaica, history, geopolitics, and a transatlantic family upholding traditional middle-class values. The first twelve Chapters are the setup of the plot. There are about 20 characters whose roles unfold in the remaining chapters some of which are very brief. Except for the final chapter the reader is kept in suspense of the surprise ending. Daydreamers is the work of a Senior Cloud Architect blessed with a fertile imagination and the skill of writing in clear and compelling prose, not unlike his grandfather.

Having asked and received permission to write this review I read Daydreamers a third time and made notes. Truth be told the last four to five months have been more that topsy turvy. I can’t find the book or my notes. This review is written overnight from memory. A testament to the enduring impressions of Daydreamers.

May 2025