James

 By: Percival Everett

Location: FIC EVE

Genre:  Historical Fiction, retelling of Huck Finn,  Barak Obama read!

BOOKER LONG LIST 2024

 This is a masterpiece and the reason that classic retellings exists. It is subversive, smart, daring, and supremely executed. 

A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view

When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.

Brimming with electrifying humor and lacerating observations, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

 REVIEW BY DIANE S

Before I started reading this I had the thought that maybe I should re-read Huck Finn. I decided not to and shortly after I started reading I remembered more and more of the original. What Everett has done here could not be done by many authors. He is, quite frankly, brilliant. He has made James a person in his own right. A multi layered, intelligent, deeply caring man who just happens to be a slave. His sorrow, his empathy for Huck, even some wry humor as Huck and James try to find a world of acceptance for whom they are.

I loved how though Huck knew James was black, was a slave, he didn't know what that meant. His acceptance of James for who he was, his innocence shines through his short life of heartache and abuse at the hands of his father.

I in no way think my review can possibly do this novel justice. One really must experience this book for oneself. Everett has quickly become a favorite of mine and I am looking forward to what he chooses to write about next. It is hard to write acceptable alternative histories. Comparisons often fall short, but not in this case. He has, in fact, made Huck and James story even better.

The narration was perfect. Hearing the story in James words, made this reading experience even better.