Synopsis
A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view
When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.
First published March 19, 2024
Percival L. Everett (born 1956) is an American writer and Distinguished Professor of English at the University of Southern California.
There might not be a more fertile mind in American fiction today than Everett’s. In 22 years, he has written 19 books, including a farcical Western, a savage satire of the publishing industry, a children’s story spoofing counting books, retellings of the Greek myths of Medea and Dionysus, and a philosophical tract narrated by a four-year-old.
The Washington Post has called Everett “one of the most adventurously experimental of modern American novelists.” And according to The Boston Globe, “He’s literature’s NASCAR champion, going flat out, narrowly avoiding one seemingly inevitable crash only to steer straight for the next.”
Everett, who teaches courses in creative writing, American studies and critical theory, says he writes about what interests him, which explains his prolific output and the range of subjects he has tackled. He also describes himself as a demanding teacher who learns from his students as much as they learn from him.
Everett’s writing has earned him the PEN USA 2006 Literary Award (for his 2005 novel, Wounded), the Academy Award for Literature of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award (for his 2001 novel, Erasure), the PEN/Oakland-Josephine Miles Award for Excellence in Literature (for his 1996 story collection, Big Picture) and the New American Writing Award (for his 1990 novel, Zulus). He has served as a judge for, among others, the 1997 National Book Award for fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 1991.
-- from his Goodreads listing
Those little bastards were hiding out there in the tall grass.
Percival Everett’s James is an inventive reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-- this time allowing the spotlight to shine on Jim, giving him voice, intellect and complexity long overlooked.
From the outset, James feels both familiar and surprisingly new. The language hums with originality. Everett is at times reverent, crafting a voice for Jim that is intellectually rich, biting, and sometimes heartbreakingly introspective, making it not just a retelling but a reworking of American mythology.
Everett’s novel is deeply nostalgic, not for the mythic Mississippi River of Twain’s era, but for the power of storytelling itself—its ability to challenge, to liberate, and to reimagine. With moments of biting satire and profound humanity, James confronts the past with both rage and grace.
Five words: nostalgic, original, storyteller, human, reawakening
Buy now:
Penguin Random House
My final word: A timely novel, James is a reminder of literature’s power to reframe the past and reshape the present. I appreciate the author's ability to give dignity to a previously undervalued voice, to make him the star of the story. Written with compassion, humor, and courage, James is an original literary reinvention. This story will resonate strongly with lovers of Twain!
My Rating:
The Cerebral Girl is a middle-aged blogger just digging her way out from under a mountain of books in the deep south of Florida.
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