James

by Percival L. Everett

Paperback, 302 pages

Published Feb. 27, 2025 by Picador.

ISBN:: 978-1-0350-3126-9

The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson's Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft along the Mississippi River, toward the elusive promise of free states and beyond. As James and Huck begin to navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise. With rumours of a brewing war, James must face the burden he carries: the family he is desperate to protect and the constant lie he must live. And together, the unlikely pair must face the most dangerous odyssey of them all.

4 editions

Paranoid Fish reviewed James by Percival L. Everett

Not just another version of Huckleberry Finn...

4 stars

...though it follows its storyline. It's told from runaway slave Jim's point of view - with some little alterations in the first half, but drifting more and more off into its own story. We learn that Jim - or James as he calls himself - isn't as simpleminded as he seemed to be, or as Huck thought he was. This is funny at times on one hand, but on the other hand it tells us some bitter truths about racism. I didn't like the end that much - to me it seemed too hasty, as if the author was a bit in a hurry, and I found it very unexpected how the story developed. Nevertheless very worth reading.

#usa #slavery #racism

Alex Cabe reviewed James: A Novel by Percival L. Everett

Good balance of big issues and readability

4 stars

Content warning Plot/character spoilers

It's a feat to write a literary "big issues" novel that has good pacing and action, and the author mostly pulls it off here.

I enjoyed James' code switching and the inversion of how it usually works. I also really liked the comparison of being a slave and being at war.

It was interesting to me (and justified by the story) how James could be so knowledgeable in some areas, like the books he read, and clueless in others, like how to use a gun.

The story of Huck's parentage didn't do much for me and I felt it kind of undermined the original novel.

Listened to on audiobook over two sessions of a long drive. The narrator did a good job with the difficult issue of the dialogue, although I occasionally had trouble distinguishing which character was speaking.

Rainer reviewed James: A Novel by Percival L. Everett

A Must-Read Retelling of Huck Finn

5 stars

This book should honestly be required reading for any school students that read Huck Finn. A bit dark at times due to the brutal nature of slavery, but this is one of my favorite books of the past few years.

Subjects

American literature