This book investigates how sound and rhythm in West African and Caribbean Francophone novels construct social and cultural identities. Julie Huntington, drawing on an ethnomusicological perspective, analyzes the sonic elements—from footsteps and heartbeats to drumbeats and the sounds of language—present in contemporary novels. She argues that this rich representation of sound creates a rhythmic polyphony that allows for the configuration of identities. The analysis highlights how authors challenge aesthetic and political conventions that favor written text over orality, encouraging readers to engage in critical dialogue.

The book is positioned as a scholarly examination of literary soundscapes, utilizing an interdisciplinary approach that bridges literary studies and ethnomusicology. Its focus on specific, influential works from West African and Caribbean Francophone literature suggests a contribution to postcolonial literary criticism and the study of cultural identity formation. The author's argument about rhythmic polyphony and the challenge to aesthetic conventions points to a text that engages with critical theory and the politics of representation.