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James
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.
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.
303 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 2024
About the author
Percival Everett
70 books3,559 followersPercival 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 6,111 reviews
September 6, 2023
Whoa, that was so not was I was expecting. Despite the Goodreads blurb that calls this book “ferociously funny” and “brimming with electrifying humor,” I didn't really find much to laugh about while reading it. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I was just surprised by how serious and thought-provoking this novel ended up being. I mean, sure, there are a few funny bits here and there, but I definitely wouldn't consider this to be a humorous book overall.
But, with that said, James is a brilliant piece of fiction and I have once again been wowed by Percival Everett's talent. (As an aside, if you want to read a truly funny book by Everett, grab yourself a copy of The Trees. It's amazing.) Everett manages to stay true to the tone and style of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn while at the same time creating something completely different with runaway slave Jim as the narrator.
This is not an easy book to read … well, subject-wise, anyway. Lots of terrible things happen to good people, mostly just because of the color of their skin. There are awful characters who degrade and take advantage of Jim just because they can. There is murder and rape and violence and death. I've read books about slavery before, but somehow this one brought home the inhumanity of it like no other. I foresee lots of challenges to this book by the “slavery wasn't really all that bad,” red hat-wearing, book-burning crowd.
I flew through this book and found it basically unputdownable. I read the first 80% in one sitting, forced myself to go to bed around 3 a.m., and then finished the last bit first thing the next morning. It's exciting and suspenseful and heart-wrenching all at the same time, and the ending was fantastic.
If you enjoyed the original Huck Finn, you'll probably love this version at least as much, if not more. Percival Everett is an incredibly talented author and a national treasure, and this latest book of his deserves all of the praise and recognition that will undoubtedly come its way.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
But, with that said, James is a brilliant piece of fiction and I have once again been wowed by Percival Everett's talent. (As an aside, if you want to read a truly funny book by Everett, grab yourself a copy of The Trees. It's amazing.) Everett manages to stay true to the tone and style of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn while at the same time creating something completely different with runaway slave Jim as the narrator.
This is not an easy book to read … well, subject-wise, anyway. Lots of terrible things happen to good people, mostly just because of the color of their skin. There are awful characters who degrade and take advantage of Jim just because they can. There is murder and rape and violence and death. I've read books about slavery before, but somehow this one brought home the inhumanity of it like no other. I foresee lots of challenges to this book by the “slavery wasn't really all that bad,” red hat-wearing, book-burning crowd.
I flew through this book and found it basically unputdownable. I read the first 80% in one sitting, forced myself to go to bed around 3 a.m., and then finished the last bit first thing the next morning. It's exciting and suspenseful and heart-wrenching all at the same time, and the ending was fantastic.
If you enjoyed the original Huck Finn, you'll probably love this version at least as much, if not more. Percival Everett is an incredibly talented author and a national treasure, and this latest book of his deserves all of the praise and recognition that will undoubtedly come its way.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review.
March 17, 2024
This is a 10/10 no notes book. Holy shit. This is a masterpiece and the reason that classic retellings exists. It is subversive, smart, daring, and supremely executed. This is a fucking book!
March 30, 2024
I am very cautious with book reimaginings since, honestly, most of the time they are quite unneeded — but here the idea of it indeed seemed necessary. I understand why Jim of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn needed his own story not filtered through the perspective of a young white kid raised in the world of racism - even if that boy slowly learns to see Jim as a human being and not just property.
Jim of Mark Twain’s story was simple and ignorant and superstitious, in the end becoming something between a cruel plaything for Tom Sawyer and life lesson material for Huck Finn — and yet there were also glimpses of a genuinely kind man, a husband and a father, and a man existing outside the limited worldview of a barely adolescent boy. With James Everett sets out to give this man a voice and selfhood he deserves, and he takes a no-holds-barred approach to it. Everett’s James is an erudite and educated man who has read Voltaire and has dream arguments with John Locke. He is a man who teaches small children to effortlessly code-switch to the extreme as a life-saving technique.
And yet it kept me at a distance. I can only conclude that Everett’s style just doesn’t work for me.
Retellings to me are tricky beasts. I hope for them to do something new and fresh, maybe with a peripheral character, to approach everything from a new angle. But here I got a whiplash. For almost half of the story we were diligently retreading the familiar Twain territory, but still with no insights into things that even in the original were a bit odd and baffling — not to mention that you needed to already know Huck/Jim story for the background as this book can’t quite stand on its own. And then suddenly it starkly diverges from Twain (although thanks to Everett for throwing out the atrocious part on the Phelps farm), but that divergence doesn’t help much, with plot developments that left me even more baffled than King/Duke farce (Norman and his fate? Huck’s origins? Huh? What’s the point?)
Maybe it’s the overload of satire that kept me at the arm’s length (or at least I sincerely hope I read that right as a satire). We went from one extreme to another - from Twain’s Jim being simple and childlike to Everett’s James being a sarcastic Voltaire-conversing erudite. I guess I was hoping for Jim/James to be explored more as a person not extreme but a regular guy - a father, a husband, a friend - with no exaggerations needed to show his actual humanity and not a caricature or a statement and a channel for angry satire.
And no, I wasn’t a fan of how Everett chose to portray the bond between James and Huck. I get that he wanted James’ growing love for the boy to be different than the implied servile devotion one may see in Twain’s book — but to me it cheapens James’s character and motivations. I get the “why”, I am just disappointed with “what” and “how”. It was unnnecessary.
It is a devastatingly dark read - don’t be fooled by “ferociously funny” misleading nonsense in the book blurb. Twain had levity; Everett quickly lets go of that after a few pages and makes the tone grim, appropriate to the book on horrors of slavery from the viewpoint of a person who’s seen by the society as an expendable inhumane thing. I appreciated the somber feel as atrocities do not need sugarcoating, but the rest just did not work for me - even if the ending went all unexpected Hollywood blockbuster in a bit of a tonal change And since it’s the second Everett in a row where I just don’t feel it, maybe his books are just not for me (but based on all the other reviews, I’m in minority here, so take it with a grain of salt).
2.5 stars.
————
Buddy read with Nastya.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
Jim of Mark Twain’s story was simple and ignorant and superstitious, in the end becoming something between a cruel plaything for Tom Sawyer and life lesson material for Huck Finn — and yet there were also glimpses of a genuinely kind man, a husband and a father, and a man existing outside the limited worldview of a barely adolescent boy. With James Everett sets out to give this man a voice and selfhood he deserves, and he takes a no-holds-barred approach to it. Everett’s James is an erudite and educated man who has read Voltaire and has dream arguments with John Locke. He is a man who teaches small children to effortlessly code-switch to the extreme as a life-saving technique.
“I can tell you that I am a man who is cognizant of his world, a man who has a family, who loves a family, who has been torn from his family, a man who can read and write, a man who will not let his story be self-related, but self-written.”
And yet it kept me at a distance. I can only conclude that Everett’s style just doesn’t work for me.
Retellings to me are tricky beasts. I hope for them to do something new and fresh, maybe with a peripheral character, to approach everything from a new angle. But here I got a whiplash. For almost half of the story we were diligently retreading the familiar Twain territory, but still with no insights into things that even in the original were a bit odd and baffling — not to mention that you needed to already know Huck/Jim story for the background as this book can’t quite stand on its own. And then suddenly it starkly diverges from Twain (although thanks to Everett for throwing out the atrocious part on the Phelps farm), but that divergence doesn’t help much, with plot developments that left me even more baffled than King/Duke farce (Norman and his fate? Huck’s origins? Huh? What’s the point?)
Maybe it’s the overload of satire that kept me at the arm’s length (or at least I sincerely hope I read that right as a satire). We went from one extreme to another - from Twain’s Jim being simple and childlike to Everett’s James being a sarcastic Voltaire-conversing erudite. I guess I was hoping for Jim/James to be explored more as a person not extreme but a regular guy - a father, a husband, a friend - with no exaggerations needed to show his actual humanity and not a caricature or a statement and a channel for angry satire.
“ How strange a world, how strange an existence, that one’s equal must argue for one’s equality, that one’s equal must hold a station that allows airing of that argument, that one cannot make that argument for oneself, that premises of said argument must be vetted by those equals who do not agree.”
And no, I wasn’t a fan of how Everett chose to portray the bond between James and Huck. I get that he wanted James’ growing love for the boy to be different than the implied servile devotion one may see in Twain’s book — but to me it cheapens James’s character and motivations. I get the “why”, I am just disappointed with “what” and “how”. It was unnnecessary.
It is a devastatingly dark read - don’t be fooled by “ferociously funny” misleading nonsense in the book blurb. Twain had levity; Everett quickly lets go of that after a few pages and makes the tone grim, appropriate to the book on horrors of slavery from the viewpoint of a person who’s seen by the society as an expendable inhumane thing. I appreciated the somber feel as atrocities do not need sugarcoating, but the rest just did not work for me - even if the ending went all unexpected Hollywood blockbuster in a bit of a tonal change And since it’s the second Everett in a row where I just don’t feel it, maybe his books are just not for me (but based on all the other reviews, I’m in minority here, so take it with a grain of salt).
2.5 stars.
————
Buddy read with Nastya.
——————
Also posted on my blog.
April 19, 2024
“With my pencil I wrote myself into being. I wrote myself to here.”
When James (“Jim”), an enslaved man, hears that he is to be separated from his family and sold to a man from New Orleans, he runs away, intending to find a way to secure freedom for himself and his family. He is joined by young Huckleberry Finn, who is running from his abusive father. James is aware of Huck’s plight and is protective of him. The narrative is shared from James’s first-person PoV as he embarks on a life-altering journey.
James by Percival Everett has essentially been described as a reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In my humble opinion, Percival Everett’s masterpiece is much more than that. The first segment of this novel explores familiar territory from within the framework of the classic that inspired this novel, but presenting the story from James’s PoV adds much depth and perspective to the story many of us have enjoyed over the years. James’s perspective adds a dimension of maturity and a more somber tone to what many of us consider a childhood classic.
“Waiting is a big part of a slave’s life, waiting and waiting to wait some more. Waiting for demands. Waiting for food. Waiting for the end of days. Waiting for the just and deserved Christian reward at the end of it all.”
Frankly, I thought the lighter moments described in this novel were less humorous (the satirical element and the irony evoke amusement) and more thought-provoking. The author never resorts to embellishments, even in the most intense moments. James’s approach to life as an enslaved man compelled to suppress his true self, sharing his wisdom on how to survive and navigate through a world that has mostly been cruel to him and his fellow men, is expressed eloquently but often in a reserved tone.
“White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them..”
As the narrative progresses, the author takes a detour from his source material and assumes ownership of James’s narrative, presenting our protagonist as a brave, perceptive and wise, self-taught learned person with compassion for his fellow beings. He holds no illusions about the consequences of his actions, fully aware that if caught his fate would differ from that of his fellow runaway Huck. His musings on slavery, racism, religion, the human condition and humanity in general are expressed through his imagined conversations with characters whose works he has been reading in secret.
“How strange a world, how strange an existence, that that one’s equal must argue for one’s equality, that one’s equal must hold a station that allows airing of an argument, that one cannot make that argument for oneself, that premises of said argument must be vetted by those equals who do not agree.”
James’s journey is not an easy one and the author does not try to paint it as such. Each of James’s experiences, the consequences of the choices he makes along the and the people he meets (slavers, tricksters, liars and fellow enslaved men and women who have experienced unimaginable cruelty at the hands of their masters) contribute to his understanding of the world around him and the perils he will inevitably face on the road he has chosen to travel. His companion Huck is often unable to comprehend the dangers James could potentially face , often puzzled by what he assumes is James’ uncharacteristic behavior, leading to many meaningful, heartfelt conversations between the two. Needless to say, some scenes are difficult to read, which is to be expected given the subject matter. Set in the years leading up to the Civil War, James is aware of the growing tensions over the issue of slavery but what does this mean for James and his quest for freedom? Will he be able to protect his family from a fate decided for them by those whose intentions and actions are driven by self-interest and utter disregard for human life? Everett tells a story that will stay with you long after you have finished this novel with a surprise revelation toward the end that will change the way you think about the characters and the books that inspired this novel.
Heart-wrenching, brutally honest, yet brilliantly crafted and immersive with superb characterization and emotional depth, James by Percival Everett is a memorable read. This novel is surely going on my list of favorite reads of 2024. I read an ARC of this novel and promptly ordered a finished copy for my personal collection.
After the novel was published, I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Dominic Hoffman who has done a remarkable job of breathing life into the characters and this story. All the stars for the audio narration!
This is my third time reading Percival Everett, after The Trees and Dr. No , and I’m glad to say that with James, he does not disappoint!
Many thanks to Doubleday Books for the gifted ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. James was published on March 19, 2024.
Note: I would suggest reading/revisiting the events described in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before picking up this novel to better appreciate Percival Everett’s creativity and brilliance in crafting James.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
When James (“Jim”), an enslaved man, hears that he is to be separated from his family and sold to a man from New Orleans, he runs away, intending to find a way to secure freedom for himself and his family. He is joined by young Huckleberry Finn, who is running from his abusive father. James is aware of Huck’s plight and is protective of him. The narrative is shared from James’s first-person PoV as he embarks on a life-altering journey.
James by Percival Everett has essentially been described as a reimagining of Mark Twain’s classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In my humble opinion, Percival Everett’s masterpiece is much more than that. The first segment of this novel explores familiar territory from within the framework of the classic that inspired this novel, but presenting the story from James’s PoV adds much depth and perspective to the story many of us have enjoyed over the years. James’s perspective adds a dimension of maturity and a more somber tone to what many of us consider a childhood classic.
“Waiting is a big part of a slave’s life, waiting and waiting to wait some more. Waiting for demands. Waiting for food. Waiting for the end of days. Waiting for the just and deserved Christian reward at the end of it all.”
Frankly, I thought the lighter moments described in this novel were less humorous (the satirical element and the irony evoke amusement) and more thought-provoking. The author never resorts to embellishments, even in the most intense moments. James’s approach to life as an enslaved man compelled to suppress his true self, sharing his wisdom on how to survive and navigate through a world that has mostly been cruel to him and his fellow men, is expressed eloquently but often in a reserved tone.
“White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them..”
As the narrative progresses, the author takes a detour from his source material and assumes ownership of James’s narrative, presenting our protagonist as a brave, perceptive and wise, self-taught learned person with compassion for his fellow beings. He holds no illusions about the consequences of his actions, fully aware that if caught his fate would differ from that of his fellow runaway Huck. His musings on slavery, racism, religion, the human condition and humanity in general are expressed through his imagined conversations with characters whose works he has been reading in secret.
“How strange a world, how strange an existence, that that one’s equal must argue for one’s equality, that one’s equal must hold a station that allows airing of an argument, that one cannot make that argument for oneself, that premises of said argument must be vetted by those equals who do not agree.”
James’s journey is not an easy one and the author does not try to paint it as such. Each of James’s experiences, the consequences of the choices he makes along the and the people he meets (slavers, tricksters, liars and fellow enslaved men and women who have experienced unimaginable cruelty at the hands of their masters) contribute to his understanding of the world around him and the perils he will inevitably face on the road he has chosen to travel. His companion Huck is often unable to comprehend the dangers James could potentially face , often puzzled by what he assumes is James’ uncharacteristic behavior, leading to many meaningful, heartfelt conversations between the two. Needless to say, some scenes are difficult to read, which is to be expected given the subject matter. Set in the years leading up to the Civil War, James is aware of the growing tensions over the issue of slavery but what does this mean for James and his quest for freedom? Will he be able to protect his family from a fate decided for them by those whose intentions and actions are driven by self-interest and utter disregard for human life? Everett tells a story that will stay with you long after you have finished this novel with a surprise revelation toward the end that will change the way you think about the characters and the books that inspired this novel.
Heart-wrenching, brutally honest, yet brilliantly crafted and immersive with superb characterization and emotional depth, James by Percival Everett is a memorable read. This novel is surely going on my list of favorite reads of 2024. I read an ARC of this novel and promptly ordered a finished copy for my personal collection.
After the novel was published, I also listened to the audiobook narrated by Dominic Hoffman who has done a remarkable job of breathing life into the characters and this story. All the stars for the audio narration!
This is my third time reading Percival Everett, after The Trees and Dr. No , and I’m glad to say that with James, he does not disappoint!
Many thanks to Doubleday Books for the gifted ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. James was published on March 19, 2024.
Note: I would suggest reading/revisiting the events described in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before picking up this novel to better appreciate Percival Everett’s creativity and brilliance in crafting James.
Connect with me! ✏ Instagram ✏ My Blog ✏ The StoryGraph
April 19, 2024
Percival Everett reimagines—no, inverts-- the classic saga of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that resides in every American’s consciousness. Huck Finn and enslaved Jim’s adventures have been in print for 140 years. If you didn’t read it in American schools, you’ve likely still been affected by its content. Everett reappropriates that story, turns it upside down and inside out, and leans formidably forward by making this a story and POV of Jim, with Huck at his side.
I am in awe and in thorough admiration of Percival Everett’s skills and fierce talent. My personal favorites, The Trees (shortlisted for Booker in 2022), and Telephone (a finalist for the Pulitzer in 2021) combine laconic protagonists, subversive wit, and tragic events. In James, he has made Twain’s classic his own historical fiction, and I applaud it as the contemporary bookend of Clemens' saga. He improves upon it by giving Jim agency. I predict that they will be teaching both books side by side in the coming years.
“White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them…The only ones who suffer when they are made to feel inferior is us.” This is Jim, teaching his daughter and other enslaved children a lesson in coded speech. Although they speak eloquently amongst themselves, they communicate submissively to white people in a "slave dialect," which enhances their survival in a world where they are nothing but chattel. It also illuminates their resourceful intelligence as they hide (linguistically) in broad daylight from their ignorant “massas.”
Additionally, the enslaved people pretend that God and Jesus are primary in their lives, when in actuality, as Jim states, regarding white folks, “religion is just a controlling tool they employ and adhere to when convenient.” How cynical it was that early American Christian identity was predicated on a proslavery theology.
As in Twain’s original, Jim and Huck run off together from Hannibal, Missouri and ride the Mississippi River, beginning in a raft. The main plotline of the original text is captured, but comically and dramatically turned on its head. Jim leads a double life—one that he owns, and one that meets white people’s expectations. In fact, there are those that are more threatened by a Black man with eloquence than they are by a Black man with a pistol.
Intelligence is Jim’s stunning subterfuge. He has a rich interior life, and in dreams, he debates slavery and philosophy with the likes of Voltaire, Rousseau, and John Locke. As an autodidact who enriched himself in Judge Thatcher’s library, Jim spends stealth nights in there poring over the judge’s books. His quick wit, thoughtful compassion, and deep humanity also become his ammunition in a hostile world.
As the plot progresses, Jim and Huck grow closer, and more revelations are gradually disclosed. The major twist is foreshadowed early on, so it doesn’t come out of nowhere, and it changes the complexion of the story. As others have already noted, this is the novel that Everett was born to write. In his hands, his heart.
I am in awe and in thorough admiration of Percival Everett’s skills and fierce talent. My personal favorites, The Trees (shortlisted for Booker in 2022), and Telephone (a finalist for the Pulitzer in 2021) combine laconic protagonists, subversive wit, and tragic events. In James, he has made Twain’s classic his own historical fiction, and I applaud it as the contemporary bookend of Clemens' saga. He improves upon it by giving Jim agency. I predict that they will be teaching both books side by side in the coming years.
“White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them…The only ones who suffer when they are made to feel inferior is us.” This is Jim, teaching his daughter and other enslaved children a lesson in coded speech. Although they speak eloquently amongst themselves, they communicate submissively to white people in a "slave dialect," which enhances their survival in a world where they are nothing but chattel. It also illuminates their resourceful intelligence as they hide (linguistically) in broad daylight from their ignorant “massas.”
Additionally, the enslaved people pretend that God and Jesus are primary in their lives, when in actuality, as Jim states, regarding white folks, “religion is just a controlling tool they employ and adhere to when convenient.” How cynical it was that early American Christian identity was predicated on a proslavery theology.
As in Twain’s original, Jim and Huck run off together from Hannibal, Missouri and ride the Mississippi River, beginning in a raft. The main plotline of the original text is captured, but comically and dramatically turned on its head. Jim leads a double life—one that he owns, and one that meets white people’s expectations. In fact, there are those that are more threatened by a Black man with eloquence than they are by a Black man with a pistol.
Intelligence is Jim’s stunning subterfuge. He has a rich interior life, and in dreams, he debates slavery and philosophy with the likes of Voltaire, Rousseau, and John Locke. As an autodidact who enriched himself in Judge Thatcher’s library, Jim spends stealth nights in there poring over the judge’s books. His quick wit, thoughtful compassion, and deep humanity also become his ammunition in a hostile world.
As the plot progresses, Jim and Huck grow closer, and more revelations are gradually disclosed. The major twist is foreshadowed early on, so it doesn’t come out of nowhere, and it changes the complexion of the story. As others have already noted, this is the novel that Everett was born to write. In his hands, his heart.
July 13, 2024
‘But my interest is in how these marks that I am scratching on this page can mean anything at all. If they can have meaning, then life can have meaning, then I can have meaning.’
James by Percival Everett is a literary gem that takes readers on a thought provoking journey through the life of its protagonist, Jim. Everett’s writing is sharp, witty, and deeply engaging, making it easy to get lost in the layers of meaning he weaves into the narrative.
James is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but told from the perspective of Huckleberry's friend Jim, an escaped slave. Set against the backdrop of the American South in the late nineteenth century around the time of the Civil War. The narrative explores themes of memory, identity, race, and the complexities of human relationships with a refreshing honesty and a touch of humour.
Everett's ability to blend heartfelt insights with entertaining storytelling is what makes this book a standout. The characters are vividly drawn and relatable, and you can’t help but become invested in their lives. Everett's prose is both lyrical and accessible, making it a pleasure to read from start to finish.
James is a stunningly written thought provoking novel that showcases Percival Everett’s incredible talent.
My Highest Recommendation.
‘With this pencil I write myself into being.’
James by Percival Everett is a literary gem that takes readers on a thought provoking journey through the life of its protagonist, Jim. Everett’s writing is sharp, witty, and deeply engaging, making it easy to get lost in the layers of meaning he weaves into the narrative.
James is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but told from the perspective of Huckleberry's friend Jim, an escaped slave. Set against the backdrop of the American South in the late nineteenth century around the time of the Civil War. The narrative explores themes of memory, identity, race, and the complexities of human relationships with a refreshing honesty and a touch of humour.
Everett's ability to blend heartfelt insights with entertaining storytelling is what makes this book a standout. The characters are vividly drawn and relatable, and you can’t help but become invested in their lives. Everett's prose is both lyrical and accessible, making it a pleasure to read from start to finish.
James is a stunningly written thought provoking novel that showcases Percival Everett’s incredible talent.
My Highest Recommendation.
‘With this pencil I write myself into being.’
July 10, 2024
I have to write this review, even though it hurts. James was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024. You guys know I typically don't anticipate books at all. But this year both Danez Smith and Rémy Ngamije are blessing us with new books, so I actually took some time to look into other books that would be published this year. This is how I came to hear of James. Everyone and their mamma was raving about this new Huckleberry Finn retelling, how funny it is, how clever, how perfect. This book has an 4.65 (!!!!) average rating on Goodreads. In reviews, people act like Percival Everett is the second incarnation of Christ himself. To say that I was HYPED for this book is an understatement. I was so ready to love it!
Sure, I had some questions as to why Huckleberry Finn was chosen in the first place, as it's quite the progressive text, and despite its flaws, Jim is a well-fleshed out character, but I love seeing Black people thrive so I was more than willing to go on this ride. Turns out all of ya'll are liars, and this is actually not only one of the worst books I've ever read, it's also one of the most useless retellings. Jean Rhys is turning in her grave because she does not want to witness this. Anyways, to bring some order into this chaos, I actually decided to split this review into different sections and talk about what I liked (not much, welp) and what I didn't (brace yo'self).
Writing style
Let's start light because writing style is always hella subjective BUT I reaaaally didn't vibe with Everett's writing style. It is sooo straight-forward and simple, I cannot deal with it. James is a 300-page novel and I'm convinced I read it within 4-5 hours, and I am a very slow reader. It went by so quick??? And that's because 80% of this novel is dialogue. Everett doesn't know what descriptions are. You can flip to any random page and all you will see is dialogue. And I know some of you will actually like the book for it – and I respect that – but I want more pomp, more introspection, more landscape... just MORE.
I also really didn't think that this was funny. Sure, I laughed maybe 3 times, but overall, this is not written with aaaany humor. "The correct incorrect grammar" did nothing for me, Huck being unable to understand Jim when he spoke standard English did nothing for me... it really wasn't giving. They have this one stupid exchange: Huck: "Why are you talking like that?" Jim: "Are you referring to my diction or my content?" And I really just hate it, because NO ONE is talking like that. It's so over the top and silly.
And it's really such a shame because I LOVE the first sentence of this novel: "Those little bastards were hiding out there in the tall grass." It's sooo good, and could've set the tone for an essential piece of rewriting... alas!
Characterisation
Whew, chile. This is the big one. The reason why I was interested in this retelling that James is supposed to be, is to get more insight into the characters we already know from Twain's novel; mainly, of course, James. The TITULAR character. Who is this man? What motivates him? What are his fears, his desires, his struggles? Why is he the way that he is? Percival Everett never manages to make him come off the page. At the end of this book I'm none the wiser than. I don't know who this man is. At the beginning of the book (p. 35) there's this beautiful quote:
"I was as much scared as angry, but where does a slave put anger? We could be angry with one another; we were human. But the real source of our rage had to go without address, swallowed, repressed. They were going to rip my family apart and send me to New Orleans, where I would be even farther from freedom and would probably never see my family again."
Unfortunately, this is one of the only moments of introspection we get in this whole 300-page long novel. Everett never makes us feel Jim's fears or his anger. It's a damn shame. I didn't really care what was happening to him, and that's a feat in and of itself, because terrible fucking things were happening to him... I wasn't able to connect to any other characters either, welp.
What Everett does to his female characters is truly mind-boggling. None of them are well fleshed out. All (!) of them are used as devices to fuel Jim's story along. I'm truly baffled that very few reviewers seem to have a problem with that. Let's start with Jim's wife Sadie and his daughter Elizabeth. We as readers never get to know them. All we're supposed to know about them is that Jim loves them and wants to reunite with them. They are simply used as a motivation for Jim to run away and his desire to free them. We never explore their relationship and bond. Especially with a reveal that comes later in the book (I'll talk about it in the last section of this review due to spoilers), I felt like we really needed to explore his marriage better... because WTF? What did Sadie say to all of this? When and how did she and Jim get together?
But most appalling are Everett's use of Sammy and Katie. Sammy is a young Black woman that Jim and Norman free during one of their stops. Sammy reveals to them that she was repeatedly raped by her white overseer since she was a child. Something that is just so so horrible and it actually made me close the book for a second because I really struggle with reading about such heavy topics. But instead of giving Sammy's characters any purpose, Everett has her shot 10 pages later during their flight, only for Jim and Norman to have a conversation about freedom, with Jim spewing the bullshit that at least now she "died free". Excuse me? That death is the best she could've hoped for? Fuck that!
I felt a similar rage when Everett introduces the character of Katie, only for Jim to witness her being raped by the white overseer Mister Hopkins. That made me so damn mad. First of all, why did you have to describe her rape in detail on the page?? Just exploitative and unnecessary. And why don't you give this woman any thoughts, any story beyond this? I kid you not, she is simply introduced to be raped, so that Jim can muster up the courage/find the rage to murder Hopkins afterwards. It is so uncomfortable.
Plot/Narrative devices
The plot was pretty cheap with Jim going from A to B to C, always encountering shitty people along the way, but I guess the original wasn't much more original in that regard either. So whilst the plot wasn't engaging for me, the thing that really didn't work for me were the narrative devices that Everett was using. I just didn't like them. I didn't like Jim's dream-conversations with the philosophers. I get they were there to show the hypocrisy in philosophical thought but they were NOT funny, and there were decidedly too many of them. I didn't like that the big reveal (of how Jim and Huck are linked) came so late in the book, it should've been revealed way earlier in order for Everett to explore it further. I also really didn't like the pacing and felt like the truly exciting stuff happened during the last 20 pages when Jim finally got to the plantation were his wife and daughter were enslaved. I really liked that bit.
Purpose/Intention
I'm just really confused by Everett's intention. What was the purpose of writing this novel? Parts of it are supposed to be realistic (historical fiction) but then there are other parts that are so fucking unrealistic, but Everett never truly leans into magical realism/fantasy. I feel like he truly missed the mark. In regards to the ending, I love that Jim became an avenger, or how he said it: "I am the angel of death, come to offer sweet justice in the night. I am a sign. I am your future. I am James."
I'm sure it's not just me but I find novels/fiction set during the time of enslavement to be really hard to stomach. I can watch documentaries all the time and am willing to learn and educate myself, but fiction can quickly feel exploitative. That's why I love authors who are willing to take a risk and shake things up a bit. A perfect example would be Wayétu Moore's She Would Be King. The novel reimagines the foundation of Liberia, but instead of solely focusing on the horrors and the plight of Black people, Wayétu gives some of her Black characters special powers, like superhuman strength or invisibility, which empowers them (and the reader), and makes reading the story bearable and triumphant. Everett tries the same with the ending, with pistol-swinging James freeing all the slaves from the plantation, and I loved that bit (as unrealistic as it was, that's the kinda shit I wanna see!!!), but it feels lacklustre because the rest of the story is not that. It almost comes out of nowhere.
In terms of purpose, I also feel like James adds almost nothing of substance to Twain's Huckleberry Finn. The only thing (SPOILER INCOMING) is the reveal that Huck is Jim's son. There are parts of that that I like (first and foremost, it explains why this Black enslaved man takes so many risks/sacrifices so much for this random "white" boy in Twain's novel) but there are more parts that I don't like (Why wasn't colorism explored then? Why did we never get a look at Jim's relationship to Huck's mom? WHO WAS THIS WOMAN? I desperately need to know, but Everett never answers these questions...). It was just really poorly done.
You guys know how much I love books written in the literary tradition of writing back. Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea and Daoud's Meursault, contre-enquête add so much to their source materials (Jane Eyre and L'Étranger respectively). They take characters that are on the fringes of these narratives and finally give them a voice. I don't feel like Everett's James is much louder than Twain's Jim, or more human than him. Not that much was added to his character. Reading this actually has me convinced that we need a feminist retelling for Huck's mom. Ahhhh.
Anyways, I ordered another retelling last week – The Silence of the Girls – let's hope it's better than this.
Sure, I had some questions as to why Huckleberry Finn was chosen in the first place, as it's quite the progressive text, and despite its flaws, Jim is a well-fleshed out character, but I love seeing Black people thrive so I was more than willing to go on this ride. Turns out all of ya'll are liars, and this is actually not only one of the worst books I've ever read, it's also one of the most useless retellings. Jean Rhys is turning in her grave because she does not want to witness this. Anyways, to bring some order into this chaos, I actually decided to split this review into different sections and talk about what I liked (not much, welp) and what I didn't (brace yo'self).
Writing style
Let's start light because writing style is always hella subjective BUT I reaaaally didn't vibe with Everett's writing style. It is sooo straight-forward and simple, I cannot deal with it. James is a 300-page novel and I'm convinced I read it within 4-5 hours, and I am a very slow reader. It went by so quick??? And that's because 80% of this novel is dialogue. Everett doesn't know what descriptions are. You can flip to any random page and all you will see is dialogue. And I know some of you will actually like the book for it – and I respect that – but I want more pomp, more introspection, more landscape... just MORE.
I also really didn't think that this was funny. Sure, I laughed maybe 3 times, but overall, this is not written with aaaany humor. "The correct incorrect grammar" did nothing for me, Huck being unable to understand Jim when he spoke standard English did nothing for me... it really wasn't giving. They have this one stupid exchange: Huck: "Why are you talking like that?" Jim: "Are you referring to my diction or my content?" And I really just hate it, because NO ONE is talking like that. It's so over the top and silly.
And it's really such a shame because I LOVE the first sentence of this novel: "Those little bastards were hiding out there in the tall grass." It's sooo good, and could've set the tone for an essential piece of rewriting... alas!
Characterisation
Whew, chile. This is the big one. The reason why I was interested in this retelling that James is supposed to be, is to get more insight into the characters we already know from Twain's novel; mainly, of course, James. The TITULAR character. Who is this man? What motivates him? What are his fears, his desires, his struggles? Why is he the way that he is? Percival Everett never manages to make him come off the page. At the end of this book I'm none the wiser than. I don't know who this man is. At the beginning of the book (p. 35) there's this beautiful quote:
"I was as much scared as angry, but where does a slave put anger? We could be angry with one another; we were human. But the real source of our rage had to go without address, swallowed, repressed. They were going to rip my family apart and send me to New Orleans, where I would be even farther from freedom and would probably never see my family again."
Unfortunately, this is one of the only moments of introspection we get in this whole 300-page long novel. Everett never makes us feel Jim's fears or his anger. It's a damn shame. I didn't really care what was happening to him, and that's a feat in and of itself, because terrible fucking things were happening to him... I wasn't able to connect to any other characters either, welp.
What Everett does to his female characters is truly mind-boggling. None of them are well fleshed out. All (!) of them are used as devices to fuel Jim's story along. I'm truly baffled that very few reviewers seem to have a problem with that. Let's start with Jim's wife Sadie and his daughter Elizabeth. We as readers never get to know them. All we're supposed to know about them is that Jim loves them and wants to reunite with them. They are simply used as a motivation for Jim to run away and his desire to free them. We never explore their relationship and bond. Especially with a reveal that comes later in the book (I'll talk about it in the last section of this review due to spoilers), I felt like we really needed to explore his marriage better... because WTF? What did Sadie say to all of this? When and how did she and Jim get together?
But most appalling are Everett's use of Sammy and Katie. Sammy is a young Black woman that Jim and Norman free during one of their stops. Sammy reveals to them that she was repeatedly raped by her white overseer since she was a child. Something that is just so so horrible and it actually made me close the book for a second because I really struggle with reading about such heavy topics. But instead of giving Sammy's characters any purpose, Everett has her shot 10 pages later during their flight, only for Jim and Norman to have a conversation about freedom, with Jim spewing the bullshit that at least now she "died free". Excuse me? That death is the best she could've hoped for? Fuck that!
I felt a similar rage when Everett introduces the character of Katie, only for Jim to witness her being raped by the white overseer Mister Hopkins. That made me so damn mad. First of all, why did you have to describe her rape in detail on the page?? Just exploitative and unnecessary. And why don't you give this woman any thoughts, any story beyond this? I kid you not, she is simply introduced to be raped, so that Jim can muster up the courage/find the rage to murder Hopkins afterwards. It is so uncomfortable.
Plot/Narrative devices
The plot was pretty cheap with Jim going from A to B to C, always encountering shitty people along the way, but I guess the original wasn't much more original in that regard either. So whilst the plot wasn't engaging for me, the thing that really didn't work for me were the narrative devices that Everett was using. I just didn't like them. I didn't like Jim's dream-conversations with the philosophers. I get they were there to show the hypocrisy in philosophical thought but they were NOT funny, and there were decidedly too many of them. I didn't like that the big reveal (of how Jim and Huck are linked) came so late in the book, it should've been revealed way earlier in order for Everett to explore it further. I also really didn't like the pacing and felt like the truly exciting stuff happened during the last 20 pages when Jim finally got to the plantation were his wife and daughter were enslaved. I really liked that bit.
Purpose/Intention
I'm just really confused by Everett's intention. What was the purpose of writing this novel? Parts of it are supposed to be realistic (historical fiction) but then there are other parts that are so fucking unrealistic, but Everett never truly leans into magical realism/fantasy. I feel like he truly missed the mark. In regards to the ending, I love that Jim became an avenger, or how he said it: "I am the angel of death, come to offer sweet justice in the night. I am a sign. I am your future. I am James."
I'm sure it's not just me but I find novels/fiction set during the time of enslavement to be really hard to stomach. I can watch documentaries all the time and am willing to learn and educate myself, but fiction can quickly feel exploitative. That's why I love authors who are willing to take a risk and shake things up a bit. A perfect example would be Wayétu Moore's She Would Be King. The novel reimagines the foundation of Liberia, but instead of solely focusing on the horrors and the plight of Black people, Wayétu gives some of her Black characters special powers, like superhuman strength or invisibility, which empowers them (and the reader), and makes reading the story bearable and triumphant. Everett tries the same with the ending, with pistol-swinging James freeing all the slaves from the plantation, and I loved that bit (as unrealistic as it was, that's the kinda shit I wanna see!!!), but it feels lacklustre because the rest of the story is not that. It almost comes out of nowhere.
In terms of purpose, I also feel like James adds almost nothing of substance to Twain's Huckleberry Finn. The only thing (SPOILER INCOMING) is the reveal that Huck is Jim's son. There are parts of that that I like (first and foremost, it explains why this Black enslaved man takes so many risks/sacrifices so much for this random "white" boy in Twain's novel) but there are more parts that I don't like (Why wasn't colorism explored then? Why did we never get a look at Jim's relationship to Huck's mom? WHO WAS THIS WOMAN? I desperately need to know, but Everett never answers these questions...). It was just really poorly done.
You guys know how much I love books written in the literary tradition of writing back. Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea and Daoud's Meursault, contre-enquête add so much to their source materials (Jane Eyre and L'Étranger respectively). They take characters that are on the fringes of these narratives and finally give them a voice. I don't feel like Everett's James is much louder than Twain's Jim, or more human than him. Not that much was added to his character. Reading this actually has me convinced that we need a feminist retelling for Huck's mom. Ahhhh.
Anyways, I ordered another retelling last week – The Silence of the Girls – let's hope it's better than this.
November 28, 2023
149th book of 2023.
4.5. I hate rewrites and reimaginings and after Kingsolver's rubbish Demon Copperhead, I was skeptical to read Everett's James (which is due to be published in March next year), but I adore The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and couldn't resist starting immediately when this advance copy was sent to me. Safe to say, pretty early on, this was going to be a different story.
The beginning follows the plot of the original. Many events that happen are exactly as Twain invented them, but of course, everything feels different: Jim is the narrator, and Everett has crafted him into something better. For starters: the way Jim speaks in Twain's novel is merely, we learn, a 'language' that all slaves speak, and put on, for white people. As soon as any white people leave a scene, Jim drops the act. And, at times it's clear Everett wants us to laugh, however uncomfortably, as soon as a white person reappears, Jim picks it up again, Lawdy, Lawdy! He can read, he can write. He harbours nihilistic tendencies. He is not Jim, but James.
And Huck. There is no shortage of reviews damning Twain's novel as being racist. There's no shortage of people thinking it should be banned, even now. I won't lie, I was unsure about how Everett would deal with it, because there's no hiding the fact that the original novel has had a controversial and problematic history. He nails it, though. Huck feels exactly like he felt in the original. It felt like reading Twain. Huckleberry Finn is a problematic person, as history often created; he is a child born into a world of slaves and racism, with a deadbeat and abusive father. And despite the horrible ending of the original novel, Huck, I believe, even in Twain, loved Jim. And Everett blossoms that.
By perhaps the midway point, Everett begins to steer the story. The plot changes. There are some twists and inventions. There are some Django Unchained moments of revenge and retribution. The book is riddled with satire, action, pain and suffering. I've only read The Trees but this already feels like the book Everett was here to write. This is a theory from Swann, my old professor: that every writer spends their life trying to write only one book, and everything else, all their other books, are merely tests, byproducts. Vonnegut's, for example, was Slaughterhouse-Five. This, I think, with my limited knowledge, was Everett's. It just feels like it. It feels like all his power and energy collected here.
If you haven't read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, read it. It's one of the Great American Novels. Then, in March, when this hits the bookshops, buy it.
A thousand thanks to Pan Macmillan for the advance copy.
4.5. I hate rewrites and reimaginings and after Kingsolver's rubbish Demon Copperhead, I was skeptical to read Everett's James (which is due to be published in March next year), but I adore The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and couldn't resist starting immediately when this advance copy was sent to me. Safe to say, pretty early on, this was going to be a different story.
The beginning follows the plot of the original. Many events that happen are exactly as Twain invented them, but of course, everything feels different: Jim is the narrator, and Everett has crafted him into something better. For starters: the way Jim speaks in Twain's novel is merely, we learn, a 'language' that all slaves speak, and put on, for white people. As soon as any white people leave a scene, Jim drops the act. And, at times it's clear Everett wants us to laugh, however uncomfortably, as soon as a white person reappears, Jim picks it up again, Lawdy, Lawdy! He can read, he can write. He harbours nihilistic tendencies. He is not Jim, but James.
And Huck. There is no shortage of reviews damning Twain's novel as being racist. There's no shortage of people thinking it should be banned, even now. I won't lie, I was unsure about how Everett would deal with it, because there's no hiding the fact that the original novel has had a controversial and problematic history. He nails it, though. Huck feels exactly like he felt in the original. It felt like reading Twain. Huckleberry Finn is a problematic person, as history often created; he is a child born into a world of slaves and racism, with a deadbeat and abusive father. And despite the horrible ending of the original novel, Huck, I believe, even in Twain, loved Jim. And Everett blossoms that.
By perhaps the midway point, Everett begins to steer the story. The plot changes. There are some twists and inventions. There are some Django Unchained moments of revenge and retribution. The book is riddled with satire, action, pain and suffering. I've only read The Trees but this already feels like the book Everett was here to write. This is a theory from Swann, my old professor: that every writer spends their life trying to write only one book, and everything else, all their other books, are merely tests, byproducts. Vonnegut's, for example, was Slaughterhouse-Five. This, I think, with my limited knowledge, was Everett's. It just feels like it. It feels like all his power and energy collected here.
If you haven't read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, read it. It's one of the Great American Novels. Then, in March, when this hits the bookshops, buy it.
A thousand thanks to Pan Macmillan for the advance copy.
April 12, 2024
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.
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.
March 24, 2024
A fabulous read… action packed.. humorous in many spots and moves at a fast pace!
This is the story of James, a runaway slave who needs to get money to buy his wife and daughter from the slave owner. Huck is helpful here too.
This all happens right before the start of The Civil War. Some surprises!
I listened to most of Huckleberry Finn on audio prior to reading this..I think you should have some knowledge of that story before reading this… you can find a summary of that book online.
This is the story of James, a runaway slave who needs to get money to buy his wife and daughter from the slave owner. Huck is helpful here too.
This all happens right before the start of The Civil War. Some surprises!
I listened to most of Huckleberry Finn on audio prior to reading this..I think you should have some knowledge of that story before reading this… you can find a summary of that book online.
May 5, 2024
And with this, I'm joining the ranks of those demanding Everett to be awarded a Pulitzer for this one ASAP. The observation that the novel is a very loose retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (which, btw, I never particularly liked - go ahead and sue me) from the perspective of Jim only scratches the surface of what Everett achieves. Much like in The Trees, he is out for Quentin Tarantino-esque revenge, but his social critique turned satire now feeds off ideas about race as performance: Just think The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life meets Black Skin, White Masks.
Language and performance are employed to show how supremacy is performed as a ridiculous act with gruesome consequences. It's not the colloquial, harmless Jim used by his slavers our narrator claims as his name, but the full version, fitting to the serious man he is: James. The runaway is bilingual, speaking standard American English and the simplified version of English that is expected from him as sub-human property - and it's this language that protects him, because it pacifies racists who deem themselves superior. At some point, James is sold to a minstrel troupe as a tenor, so he is painted white in order to let him appear to be a white man in blackface, while another performer turns out to be a light-skinned Black man passing as white and performing in blackface. What the actual fuck, you ask? Well, that's the logic of racism: It's non-existent, which makes it all the more suitable to execute random acts of brutality, and that's what Everett illustrates (plus that torturing others takes away the torturer's dignity, not that of the victim). Not-so-fun fact: Mr. Mark Twain was a fan of the real-life version of the minstrel troupe, the Virginia Minstrels.
As for the plot, it's certainly very implausible, which gives the book the air of a fairy tale (and I mean the dark German and Danish ones) that clashes with social realism ca. 1860 - it remains picaresque, but the main character navigating the mythical Mississippi searching for (moral) growth (as is integral to the classic Bildungsroman) is not even considered a person by society. The adventures of James, a book lover in his mid-20's who flees because he is supposed to be sold and fears to lose his wife and daughter, involve all kinds of people and situations illuminating the dynamics of social roles between Black and white people in the South shortly before the Civil War. Huckleberry takes on a whole new role as well.
Frankly, I do think that Erasure and The Trees are superior literary works, but the fact that Everett lovingly subverts an American classic that was progressive for its time, but is not anymore, will certainly endear him to scholars and prize judges even more. Be it as it may, Everett deserves all the acclaim: His razor sharp wit and propulsive writing are highly recognizable and simply captivating.
Language and performance are employed to show how supremacy is performed as a ridiculous act with gruesome consequences. It's not the colloquial, harmless Jim used by his slavers our narrator claims as his name, but the full version, fitting to the serious man he is: James. The runaway is bilingual, speaking standard American English and the simplified version of English that is expected from him as sub-human property - and it's this language that protects him, because it pacifies racists who deem themselves superior. At some point, James is sold to a minstrel troupe as a tenor, so he is painted white in order to let him appear to be a white man in blackface, while another performer turns out to be a light-skinned Black man passing as white and performing in blackface. What the actual fuck, you ask? Well, that's the logic of racism: It's non-existent, which makes it all the more suitable to execute random acts of brutality, and that's what Everett illustrates (plus that torturing others takes away the torturer's dignity, not that of the victim). Not-so-fun fact: Mr. Mark Twain was a fan of the real-life version of the minstrel troupe, the Virginia Minstrels.
As for the plot, it's certainly very implausible, which gives the book the air of a fairy tale (and I mean the dark German and Danish ones) that clashes with social realism ca. 1860 - it remains picaresque, but the main character navigating the mythical Mississippi searching for (moral) growth (as is integral to the classic Bildungsroman) is not even considered a person by society. The adventures of James, a book lover in his mid-20's who flees because he is supposed to be sold and fears to lose his wife and daughter, involve all kinds of people and situations illuminating the dynamics of social roles between Black and white people in the South shortly before the Civil War. Huckleberry takes on a whole new role as well.
Frankly, I do think that Erasure and The Trees are superior literary works, but the fact that Everett lovingly subverts an American classic that was progressive for its time, but is not anymore, will certainly endear him to scholars and prize judges even more. Be it as it may, Everett deserves all the acclaim: His razor sharp wit and propulsive writing are highly recognizable and simply captivating.
March 26, 2024
James is the 22nd book I read by Percival Everett. When I was at book #18, I met the man when he spoke on a panel here in NYC where I live. I’d brought my copy of Erasure for him to sign. I’d chosen carefully—the newest looking of his books on my shelf. I wanted to present him with something pristine.
After the panel discussion, I crept out of the audience, around the circle of panelists’ chairs, and, like a teenager with crush, smelling my own sweat, I said, “Mr. Everett, would you sign my book?” He couldn’t have been more affable. And as he wrote, I blurted, “I’ve read 18 of your books.” “Oh, so you’re the one!” he joked, a line I sensed he used a lot to those of us in what was then a small cult of fans. Undeterred, I further blurted, “When I first discovered your work, I felt like my head exploded.”
He smiled kindly and handed me my paperback, fully aware that I was as in love with him as a reader can be from only an author’s books, and I didn’t know what to do with the feelings.
Every one of Everett’s books is different, but having read so many, I feel like all of them have led to James. James is far more accessible than a lot of his other books, and it is perfectly timed to convey his essence to the huge audience he has “suddenly” evoked due to a movie based on Erasure that he had virtually nothing to do with. (I have not seen it because I like the edge in his books, his anger, his uncompromising intellect—even when it is over my head—and his refusal to mitigate any of it with anything that would make his work more accessible, and I’ve heard that the movie softens all that.)
What is Percival Everett’s essence?
For me, it is the thing that made my head explode on first contact: he is absolutely himself. He refuses to fit into any box, under any label designed by someone else. There is loneliness to this kind of a life. A loneliness that can become a choice because at some point you know that nobody—or very few people—will see you as you know yourself to be. (He writes about this in not only Erasure, but I Am Not Sidney Poitier, Dr. No, God’s Country, and many of his short stories.)
In James, he has parsed this out for the masses, using Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn as a launch pad.
Why this book now?
Because it’s legal—The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written in 1884, is now in the public domain. But more importantly, perhaps because the masses are now open to hearing that Black people are and always have been individual people with individual thoughts, ideas, and peculiarities just like all human beings.
This sounds obvious, but in our country it is anything but—proved by the stereotypes that make Black men “dangerous” and all the other notions that weave through our culture.
As in many of Everett’s books, James disarms us with humor. There are the fools, the clowns whose cruelty is matched only by their idiocy. As in one of my favorite of Everett’s short stories, “The Appropriation of Cultures” (in his anthology Damned If I Do ), there are ingenious absurd yet logically-obvious-except-nobody-has-thought- of-them plot twists. There is the unpredictable picaresque journey (I Am Not Sidney Poitier, Dr. No). And there is also an undertow of “yearning to be seen and known.” (I wrote about how subversive this is in the book-within-the-book of Erasure; I have no idea if Everett would agree with my take, but it’s what I felt.) This is what gives Everett’s books a subliminal heartbeat . . . and it hurts—in a good way.
New in this book, although there are aspects of it in other books, is the utter exhaustion of the code-switching Black people have learned by necessity by the time they have social interactions. And, here, that is married to the exhaustion of living in a slave culture of “duplicity, dishonesty or perfidy (195)” where you can’t tell who is telling the truth or who might act like an ally but turn out to be the worst kind of enemy. But because of Everett’s genius, reading James is never exhausting and always entertaining.
And for me, the newest aspect of this book is a full pulsing catharsis—set up by the ending of his remarkable God’s Country in 1994, delivered in an almost mythical form in 2021 in Trees, and finally, in James, experienced through the heart of a man who loves his wife and young daughter, who loves the son who didn’t know him as a father, and loves life enough to fight for it.
Oh, my heart!
After the panel discussion, I crept out of the audience, around the circle of panelists’ chairs, and, like a teenager with crush, smelling my own sweat, I said, “Mr. Everett, would you sign my book?” He couldn’t have been more affable. And as he wrote, I blurted, “I’ve read 18 of your books.” “Oh, so you’re the one!” he joked, a line I sensed he used a lot to those of us in what was then a small cult of fans. Undeterred, I further blurted, “When I first discovered your work, I felt like my head exploded.”
He smiled kindly and handed me my paperback, fully aware that I was as in love with him as a reader can be from only an author’s books, and I didn’t know what to do with the feelings.
Every one of Everett’s books is different, but having read so many, I feel like all of them have led to James. James is far more accessible than a lot of his other books, and it is perfectly timed to convey his essence to the huge audience he has “suddenly” evoked due to a movie based on Erasure that he had virtually nothing to do with. (I have not seen it because I like the edge in his books, his anger, his uncompromising intellect—even when it is over my head—and his refusal to mitigate any of it with anything that would make his work more accessible, and I’ve heard that the movie softens all that.)
What is Percival Everett’s essence?
For me, it is the thing that made my head explode on first contact: he is absolutely himself. He refuses to fit into any box, under any label designed by someone else. There is loneliness to this kind of a life. A loneliness that can become a choice because at some point you know that nobody—or very few people—will see you as you know yourself to be. (He writes about this in not only Erasure, but I Am Not Sidney Poitier, Dr. No, God’s Country, and many of his short stories.)
In James, he has parsed this out for the masses, using Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn as a launch pad.
Why this book now?
Because it’s legal—The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written in 1884, is now in the public domain. But more importantly, perhaps because the masses are now open to hearing that Black people are and always have been individual people with individual thoughts, ideas, and peculiarities just like all human beings.
This sounds obvious, but in our country it is anything but—proved by the stereotypes that make Black men “dangerous” and all the other notions that weave through our culture.
As in many of Everett’s books, James disarms us with humor. There are the fools, the clowns whose cruelty is matched only by their idiocy. As in one of my favorite of Everett’s short stories, “The Appropriation of Cultures” (in his anthology Damned If I Do ), there are ingenious absurd yet logically-obvious-except-nobody-has-thought- of-them plot twists. There is the unpredictable picaresque journey (I Am Not Sidney Poitier, Dr. No). And there is also an undertow of “yearning to be seen and known.” (I wrote about how subversive this is in the book-within-the-book of Erasure; I have no idea if Everett would agree with my take, but it’s what I felt.) This is what gives Everett’s books a subliminal heartbeat . . . and it hurts—in a good way.
New in this book, although there are aspects of it in other books, is the utter exhaustion of the code-switching Black people have learned by necessity by the time they have social interactions. And, here, that is married to the exhaustion of living in a slave culture of “duplicity, dishonesty or perfidy (195)” where you can’t tell who is telling the truth or who might act like an ally but turn out to be the worst kind of enemy. But because of Everett’s genius, reading James is never exhausting and always entertaining.
And for me, the newest aspect of this book is a full pulsing catharsis—set up by the ending of his remarkable God’s Country in 1994, delivered in an almost mythical form in 2021 in Trees, and finally, in James, experienced through the heart of a man who loves his wife and young daughter, who loves the son who didn’t know him as a father, and loves life enough to fight for it.
Oh, my heart!
April 3, 2024
Unlike other recent retellings, the one of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" told from the perspective of Jim feels more than an easy commercial endeavor. The transformation of Jim into James is something that the modern reader needs to put next to what has become, in recent years, a controversial classic.
"You can write? I cain't hardly write. What else can you do? Can you fly? What else ain't you told me, Jim?"
Luckily, Percival Everett (who has had a great year with this one and the Oscar-winning American fiction based on his novel 'Erasure') was the one who took on the task of imagining this transformation.It is a worthy and impactful journey that has the problem of having dialogue like this:
"Okee. So, blue gum monkey on up da Allen, yes, like Lucifer done bit on da broomstick. And them Charles be down on him like white on rice. I mean, they be on 'em like them ..."
It is interesting to see Jim thinking one way and talking in another, but it gets hard to read these passages.I also think that in the end, Percival Everett is a little undecided on what to do with James. There are moments of horror that don't match with Django/James Bond situations.
But 'James' does the job because it doesn't make the mistake where it matters. The updated relationship with Huck remains the highlight of the novel.
"You can write? I cain't hardly write. What else can you do? Can you fly? What else ain't you told me, Jim?"
Luckily, Percival Everett (who has had a great year with this one and the Oscar-winning American fiction based on his novel 'Erasure') was the one who took on the task of imagining this transformation.It is a worthy and impactful journey that has the problem of having dialogue like this:
"Okee. So, blue gum monkey on up da Allen, yes, like Lucifer done bit on da broomstick. And them Charles be down on him like white on rice. I mean, they be on 'em like them ..."
It is interesting to see Jim thinking one way and talking in another, but it gets hard to read these passages.I also think that in the end, Percival Everett is a little undecided on what to do with James. There are moments of horror that don't match with Django/James Bond situations.
But 'James' does the job because it doesn't make the mistake where it matters. The updated relationship with Huck remains the highlight of the novel.
September 15, 2023
Growing up, one of my fondest memories is reading Mark Twain with my father. So when I learned about this reimagined tale of one of my childhood favorites, I was excited to get an early copy to read.
Set in Missouri in the 1840s, James tells the story of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of enslaved Jim. When Jim hears that he is going to be sold to a man in New Orleans, which would separate him from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away to form a plan.
Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, and of course, we all know what happens next- the duo embarks on a transcendent journey down the Mississippi River in hopes of reaching the free states.
Percival Everett brilliantly gave a voice to one of literature's most well-known characters, Jim a runaway slave who prefers to go by James. James the person, is the exact opposite of how the world perceives him. He's a wise sage, who's nihilistic but also carries a profound tenderness for his fellow humans. To be inside the mind of someone that was born enslaved, and desperately wants to be reunited with his wife and child, is an experience I will not be forgetting anytime soon.
Even though it's been decades since I read it, while reading James, the story of Huck Finn came back to me. Percival Everett has crafted a masterpiece in James. This book is going to be one of the biggest literary events of 2024 and will also become a modern classic.
James by Percival Everett will be available in March, 2024. A massive thanks to Knopf/Doubleday for giving me the opportunity read an early copy!!
Set in Missouri in the 1840s, James tells the story of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes of enslaved Jim. When Jim hears that he is going to be sold to a man in New Orleans, which would separate him from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away to form a plan.
Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, and of course, we all know what happens next- the duo embarks on a transcendent journey down the Mississippi River in hopes of reaching the free states.
Percival Everett brilliantly gave a voice to one of literature's most well-known characters, Jim a runaway slave who prefers to go by James. James the person, is the exact opposite of how the world perceives him. He's a wise sage, who's nihilistic but also carries a profound tenderness for his fellow humans. To be inside the mind of someone that was born enslaved, and desperately wants to be reunited with his wife and child, is an experience I will not be forgetting anytime soon.
Even though it's been decades since I read it, while reading James, the story of Huck Finn came back to me. Percival Everett has crafted a masterpiece in James. This book is going to be one of the biggest literary events of 2024 and will also become a modern classic.
James by Percival Everett will be available in March, 2024. A massive thanks to Knopf/Doubleday for giving me the opportunity read an early copy!!
March 8, 2024
Samuel Clemens, who took the steamboating term “Mark Twain” as his pen name, knew the Mississippi was a deadly river to navigate. But it feels like a tranquil brook next to the tumultuous waters of American literature.
You can hear that stress prefigured at the end of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” when Huck admits, “If I’d a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn’t a tackled it.”
Indeed, Huck has never had it easy.
Mark Twain toiled on the manuscript off and on for years — sometimes unsure how to continue it and clearly unsure how to end it. Before the novel was released, someone noticed that an illustration of Uncle Phelps had been enhanced with an obscene endowment. That act of vandalism, presumably by an unknown engraver, was fixed, but just weeks after the book appeared in 1885, the library in Concord, Mass., condemned “Huckleberry Finn” as “trash.” Once critics caught that scent, they never let up.
Huck’s coarseness was initially the problem — “the whole book being more suited to the slums than to intelligent, respectable people,” according to one library committee. And the dialect that Twain sweated over offended the sensibilities of self-styled defenders of English who knew how a proper book should sound.
As many White Americans began to catch up with Huck’s respect for his Black friend, the book’s use of the n-word — more than 200 times — was increasingly intolerable. By the 1950s, some schools were expelling “Huck Finn” for its racial insensitivity. As late as 2007, it was still one of the 10 most challenged books in the country.
It’s worth noting that Huck begins his own story by referring to Mr. Mark Twain with a little metafictional joke: “He told the truth, mainly.”
That word “mainly” runs as wide as the Mississippi in the spring. And on the currents of such a stream of possibilities, Percival Everett has now set “James,” his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
The timing may be accidental, but it couldn’t be better. Our barely United States is once again tearing itself apart over which books should be banned and how African American history should be taught. Meanwhile, “American Fiction,” an adaptation of Everett’s 2001 novel, “Erasure” — which satirizes the publishing industry’s condescending regard for Black writers — is up for five Academy Awards. What better moment for one of the nation’s preeminent authors to reconceive the nation’s central novel?
Like Huck, you might think, “I been there before,” but. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
You can hear that stress prefigured at the end of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” when Huck admits, “If I’d a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn’t a tackled it.”
Indeed, Huck has never had it easy.
Mark Twain toiled on the manuscript off and on for years — sometimes unsure how to continue it and clearly unsure how to end it. Before the novel was released, someone noticed that an illustration of Uncle Phelps had been enhanced with an obscene endowment. That act of vandalism, presumably by an unknown engraver, was fixed, but just weeks after the book appeared in 1885, the library in Concord, Mass., condemned “Huckleberry Finn” as “trash.” Once critics caught that scent, they never let up.
Huck’s coarseness was initially the problem — “the whole book being more suited to the slums than to intelligent, respectable people,” according to one library committee. And the dialect that Twain sweated over offended the sensibilities of self-styled defenders of English who knew how a proper book should sound.
As many White Americans began to catch up with Huck’s respect for his Black friend, the book’s use of the n-word — more than 200 times — was increasingly intolerable. By the 1950s, some schools were expelling “Huck Finn” for its racial insensitivity. As late as 2007, it was still one of the 10 most challenged books in the country.
It’s worth noting that Huck begins his own story by referring to Mr. Mark Twain with a little metafictional joke: “He told the truth, mainly.”
That word “mainly” runs as wide as the Mississippi in the spring. And on the currents of such a stream of possibilities, Percival Everett has now set “James,” his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
The timing may be accidental, but it couldn’t be better. Our barely United States is once again tearing itself apart over which books should be banned and how African American history should be taught. Meanwhile, “American Fiction,” an adaptation of Everett’s 2001 novel, “Erasure” — which satirizes the publishing industry’s condescending regard for Black writers — is up for five Academy Awards. What better moment for one of the nation’s preeminent authors to reconceive the nation’s central novel?
Like Huck, you might think, “I been there before,” but. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
June 11, 2024
“Heaven for this climate; hell for my long-awaited lunch with Mark Twain.”
My best friend Sharon wanted to discuss this book with me. So, I couldn’t wait for “James” to come in from our local library. Surprisingly, for both of us, we were one of the first to receive it.
And, so I put all my other books on my “currently reading” Goodreads list aside, and began to read this one.
Let me address the elephant in the room. For me. First.
I will give you an example of my concern here…
“Lak I say, I furst found my hat up on a nail. ‘I ain’t put dat dere,” I say to mysef. ‘How dat hat git dere?’
I recognize that speaking this way was the dialect of the time. But does it need to be written that way in contemporary books? Every time I had attempted to read this story, with words spoken in that dialect, it felt uncomfortable and unpleasant.
I can appreciate that the author was trying to stay true to the times, and the characters, but I felt myself tripping over those words and wondering if I would be able to get myself through the pages. My head would begin to hurt, and I would find myself slamming the book down in frustration.
And then I would find myself asking…
Was the whole book going to “talk” this way? And, if so, was I going to be disappointed and miss out on the story, and my discussion with Sharon? I could feel a dilemma coming on. What was I to do?
I read a few more pages.
It appeared as long as they weren’t talking, it was easy to follow the narrator, James telling of his story. It would just be when James or anyone else would speak that I would cringe. And, this book was full of conversations. And, of course, this story, and what we are wanting from his story, is his slave’s point of view.
I continued to read.
Thankfully, the author provides short chapters. He is taking us on the same adventure as Huckleberry Finn, but through James’ view instead. It would be his perspective. And, as readers, we will follow along with him.
If anyone remembers Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, some scenes may seem familiar, but the author finds ways to insert the story with his own backdrops. So, that the emphasis is on James and how he views the world and what is happening in it.
As I mentioned earlier, it was hard for me when the book was conversational. And yet, that was the majority of the story.
So, how did that make my reading experience? Less than enjoyable? And yet, could this be a brilliant telling of a homage to Twain? After all, this was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
To be honest, I am conflicted. It isn't going to be an easy read (besides what I mentioned). My Goodreads friend, Jamie shares it best. Her review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But…let’s just say it got better as I continued to read. It was an adventure, most importantly. And, despite the “language barrier” I think it was a worthwhile read.
My best friend Sharon wanted to discuss this book with me. So, I couldn’t wait for “James” to come in from our local library. Surprisingly, for both of us, we were one of the first to receive it.
And, so I put all my other books on my “currently reading” Goodreads list aside, and began to read this one.
Let me address the elephant in the room. For me. First.
I will give you an example of my concern here…
“Lak I say, I furst found my hat up on a nail. ‘I ain’t put dat dere,” I say to mysef. ‘How dat hat git dere?’
I recognize that speaking this way was the dialect of the time. But does it need to be written that way in contemporary books? Every time I had attempted to read this story, with words spoken in that dialect, it felt uncomfortable and unpleasant.
I can appreciate that the author was trying to stay true to the times, and the characters, but I felt myself tripping over those words and wondering if I would be able to get myself through the pages. My head would begin to hurt, and I would find myself slamming the book down in frustration.
And then I would find myself asking…
Was the whole book going to “talk” this way? And, if so, was I going to be disappointed and miss out on the story, and my discussion with Sharon? I could feel a dilemma coming on. What was I to do?
I read a few more pages.
It appeared as long as they weren’t talking, it was easy to follow the narrator, James telling of his story. It would just be when James or anyone else would speak that I would cringe. And, this book was full of conversations. And, of course, this story, and what we are wanting from his story, is his slave’s point of view.
I continued to read.
Thankfully, the author provides short chapters. He is taking us on the same adventure as Huckleberry Finn, but through James’ view instead. It would be his perspective. And, as readers, we will follow along with him.
If anyone remembers Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, some scenes may seem familiar, but the author finds ways to insert the story with his own backdrops. So, that the emphasis is on James and how he views the world and what is happening in it.
As I mentioned earlier, it was hard for me when the book was conversational. And yet, that was the majority of the story.
So, how did that make my reading experience? Less than enjoyable? And yet, could this be a brilliant telling of a homage to Twain? After all, this was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.
To be honest, I am conflicted. It isn't going to be an easy read (besides what I mentioned). My Goodreads friend, Jamie shares it best. Her review is here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
But…let’s just say it got better as I continued to read. It was an adventure, most importantly. And, despite the “language barrier” I think it was a worthwhile read.
April 24, 2024
I’ll be real: for the first quarter, I wasn’t sure I was fully vibing with this book (never fear, I did end up loving it). For me, it felt like it was missing an emotional core, and was more concerned about getting from Point A to B to C. I got a sense of place, but barely any heart. I liked it, but it wasn’t hitting as hard as the five other Everett books I’d previously read.
Then all of a sudden, it started to click into place for me. I read ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN when I was a kid, so I’ll admit that I had forgotten several things that happened in that book. And even if I had remembered it all, I’m sure that there was a lot of content that went over my head, considering I was such a youngin. I did, however, read a summary of it in order to re-familiarize myself with the story, as well as a way to further appreciate Everett’s reimagining.
If you didn’t know: JAMES is a reimagining of the American classic ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, a book that is commonly considered one of the Great American Novels. It’s a book ahead of its time due to the fact that it heavily critiqued racism, slavery, and the American South. JAMES reconfigures the novel by telling the story through runaway slave Jim’s eyes. What an ambitious feat!
The plot: Jim discovers that he’s going to be sold to another slave owner, which will separate him from his wife and daughter. Determined to not let this happen, he goes on the run. Shortly after his escape, he runs into Huck, who has also run away for reasons of his own. This version of the story is now centered on Jim, illustrating his resilience, as well as his limitations in a world that’s always targeting him.
The novel soon turns into something that feels action-packed. While HUCK FINN can feel like adventure, JAMES takes on a more tension-filled survivalist aesthetic. That’s because due to Jim’s slave status, he moves through the world riddled with never-ending paranoia. There is always a target on his back. And he’s always aware of that fact.
Everett’s approach is to transcend some of the plot points we visited when we read HUCK FINN. Certain moments open up nuances that Huck is not maturely- or racially-equipped to understand. Through Jim’s eyes, this so-called “adventure” feels nightmarish. To Huck, it’s an adventure and a coming of age; for Jim, it’s an American horror story.
Besides giving a contrasting perspective to an already familiar story, Everett also gives us some surprises that deviate from the original story: new plot points that throw the reader for a loop because they explore new avenues and introduces new foes and friends that we haven’t encountered in the other version of the story. It also manages to dismantle Jim’s trope as the Magical Negro.
I loved this book. As I mentioned before, it took a bit of time for me to feel the full brevity of the story. But then it morphed into something palpable, haunting, and downright unsettling (and there’s a doozy of a revelation waiting for you to discover). The second-half is a heart-pounding experience all the way to its violently cathartic finish.
Before reading, I heard a few people say that it’s also a hilarious read. I can see where they’re coming from, but the humorous tone is definitely more muted than say THE TREES, which is full on-satire. There isn’t anything remotely satirical about JAMES. It’s more of a dark story where resilience, friendship and loyalty are at its forefront. So, it’s not a book that relentlessly dreary and dripping with violence. It’s got a hopeful spirit throughout the entirety of the text.
Everett is not the kind of writer to sketch out grand emotional scenes. There are several moments in the book that are sad, heartbreaking, and tragic from a plot and characterization standpoint. But he doesn’t write them in elongated, passionate crescendos that we’re used to from other writers. The writing style is matter-of-fact and the tone is blunt. And weirdly enough, that hit me in the gut a lot harder. The horrifying nature of the circumstances is enough to pierce multiple holes in your heart. We don’t need to be told when to scream or cry because what’s playing out in front of us paints a grim enough picture. We’re witnessing one of the ugliest moments in history. It’s a never-ending nauseas pit in the stomach. By taking a minimalist approach, Everett is allowing your psyche to fill in the gaps.
So here we go. That completes my sixth Everett book, and not a bad bunch in the lot. The man doesn’t write the same book twice. How does he do it? Better question: is he gonna keep doing it?
Then all of a sudden, it started to click into place for me. I read ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN when I was a kid, so I’ll admit that I had forgotten several things that happened in that book. And even if I had remembered it all, I’m sure that there was a lot of content that went over my head, considering I was such a youngin. I did, however, read a summary of it in order to re-familiarize myself with the story, as well as a way to further appreciate Everett’s reimagining.
If you didn’t know: JAMES is a reimagining of the American classic ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN, a book that is commonly considered one of the Great American Novels. It’s a book ahead of its time due to the fact that it heavily critiqued racism, slavery, and the American South. JAMES reconfigures the novel by telling the story through runaway slave Jim’s eyes. What an ambitious feat!
The plot: Jim discovers that he’s going to be sold to another slave owner, which will separate him from his wife and daughter. Determined to not let this happen, he goes on the run. Shortly after his escape, he runs into Huck, who has also run away for reasons of his own. This version of the story is now centered on Jim, illustrating his resilience, as well as his limitations in a world that’s always targeting him.
The novel soon turns into something that feels action-packed. While HUCK FINN can feel like adventure, JAMES takes on a more tension-filled survivalist aesthetic. That’s because due to Jim’s slave status, he moves through the world riddled with never-ending paranoia. There is always a target on his back. And he’s always aware of that fact.
Everett’s approach is to transcend some of the plot points we visited when we read HUCK FINN. Certain moments open up nuances that Huck is not maturely- or racially-equipped to understand. Through Jim’s eyes, this so-called “adventure” feels nightmarish. To Huck, it’s an adventure and a coming of age; for Jim, it’s an American horror story.
Besides giving a contrasting perspective to an already familiar story, Everett also gives us some surprises that deviate from the original story: new plot points that throw the reader for a loop because they explore new avenues and introduces new foes and friends that we haven’t encountered in the other version of the story. It also manages to dismantle Jim’s trope as the Magical Negro.
I loved this book. As I mentioned before, it took a bit of time for me to feel the full brevity of the story. But then it morphed into something palpable, haunting, and downright unsettling (and there’s a doozy of a revelation waiting for you to discover). The second-half is a heart-pounding experience all the way to its violently cathartic finish.
Before reading, I heard a few people say that it’s also a hilarious read. I can see where they’re coming from, but the humorous tone is definitely more muted than say THE TREES, which is full on-satire. There isn’t anything remotely satirical about JAMES. It’s more of a dark story where resilience, friendship and loyalty are at its forefront. So, it’s not a book that relentlessly dreary and dripping with violence. It’s got a hopeful spirit throughout the entirety of the text.
Everett is not the kind of writer to sketch out grand emotional scenes. There are several moments in the book that are sad, heartbreaking, and tragic from a plot and characterization standpoint. But he doesn’t write them in elongated, passionate crescendos that we’re used to from other writers. The writing style is matter-of-fact and the tone is blunt. And weirdly enough, that hit me in the gut a lot harder. The horrifying nature of the circumstances is enough to pierce multiple holes in your heart. We don’t need to be told when to scream or cry because what’s playing out in front of us paints a grim enough picture. We’re witnessing one of the ugliest moments in history. It’s a never-ending nauseas pit in the stomach. By taking a minimalist approach, Everett is allowing your psyche to fill in the gaps.
So here we go. That completes my sixth Everett book, and not a bad bunch in the lot. The man doesn’t write the same book twice. How does he do it? Better question: is he gonna keep doing it?
April 14, 2024
I think I’m done with Percival Everett. My journey started four books prior and even though I was not a convert, I thought him interesting, there was something Pynchonian, Don Delillian, and then later I saw him mentioning Pynchon as one of his writing heroes. But with every new book I read from him, I enjoy him less and less.
I had the same issues with James as I did with his Trees. There’s no subtlety, the book is not interested in creating characters or even in satirizing, at least the way I see it. Everett just used the vague framework of the original to write a cathartic story about an avenging angel, this time the judgement is slavery, before it was lynching. This time the angel is just one person, Twain’s Jim who is James. The tone was weird, this book doesn’t add much to the original for way too long, making it a chore to read. When, finally, his book becomes his own and plots diverge, it becomes even less interesting. There’s one big reveal in the end that some reviewers seem to be puzzled about, yet it made sense to me, it was needed to explain Twain’s Jim’s choices, to transcend him from the magical dimwitted plot device to a human being who doesn’t make every decision in his life to benefit white people around him, the way white writers tended (some still do) to write black characters. Yet it still wasn’t enough and nothing interesting was explored in that relationship. Just a shame.
Edit: Check out the comment section that has thoughts about women in this novel. Big yikes.
I had the same issues with James as I did with his Trees. There’s no subtlety, the book is not interested in creating characters or even in satirizing, at least the way I see it. Everett just used the vague framework of the original to write a cathartic story about an avenging angel, this time the judgement is slavery, before it was lynching. This time the angel is just one person, Twain’s Jim who is James. The tone was weird, this book doesn’t add much to the original for way too long, making it a chore to read. When, finally, his book becomes his own and plots diverge, it becomes even less interesting. There’s one big reveal in the end that some reviewers seem to be puzzled about, yet it made sense to me, it was needed to explain Twain’s Jim’s choices, to transcend him from the magical dimwitted plot device to a human being who doesn’t make every decision in his life to benefit white people around him, the way white writers tended (some still do) to write black characters. Yet it still wasn’t enough and nothing interesting was explored in that relationship. Just a shame.
Edit: Check out the comment section that has thoughts about women in this novel. Big yikes.
April 9, 2024
One of the best things I have read in years. I plan on doing an in-depth review soon, maybe after a second reading. Just brilliant.
May 26, 2024
I've read this line in a few reviews by different readers, that every one of Percival Everett's books (and there are many - 35 or so?) has led him to writing James. I agree.
In this incredible telling of Jim-from-Huckleberry-Finn's story, there's a part where Jim muses that the stub of pencil in his hand has been bought at a great price, and he had a duty therefore, to tell his story. At this point in the book, I began to cry, because I saw Percival Everett in Jim - no, James - and I felt his story telling as something bought at great, great price, and that we readers have a duty to listen.
This book is much lighter on satire than many of his novels, and, if you have any heart at all, or ears to hear, it will surely speak to you, too.
In this incredible telling of Jim-from-Huckleberry-Finn's story, there's a part where Jim muses that the stub of pencil in his hand has been bought at a great price, and he had a duty therefore, to tell his story. At this point in the book, I began to cry, because I saw Percival Everett in Jim - no, James - and I felt his story telling as something bought at great, great price, and that we readers have a duty to listen.
This book is much lighter on satire than many of his novels, and, if you have any heart at all, or ears to hear, it will surely speak to you, too.
May 25, 2024
In an interview I read a few months ago Percival Everett said about his latest novel, James, that he imagined "that I’m in conversation with Twain and writing the novel that he couldn’t write. . . . I'm perhaps writing the novel that he was not equipped to write, and nor would he even imagine it, because his character is Huck Finn. It's Huck's novel. But he could not occupy the psychic and cultural space that was occupied by Jim. " Rather than writing from Huck's innocent POV, Everett writes from James', as a person who has been beaten and whipped, who cannot protect his family from brutality, who has to contain or dismiss his anger, and who frequently cannot be his true self.
Everett employs the concept of language as a through line which connects the dots of his story. Language is used as a disguise and as a form of resistance against dehumanization, as well as to communicate.
In this tale, the enslaved persons are fluent in switching between standard English with large vocabularies that they use among themselves and the stunted vernacular that they speak around white people. This “correct incorrect grammar” is drilled into their youngsters to support the illusion that these Black people are less intelligent and competent than White people.
“White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them. The better they feel, the safer we are.”
“At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.”
This concept is one of the reasons books are banned and destroyed, why education of slaves was forbidden. Is it so different from what is going on today?
“My interest is in how these marks that I am scratching on this page can mean anything at all. If they can have meaning, then life can have meaning, then I can have meaning.”
In the end, James is finally able to begin writing the words to his life, defining himself on his own terms.
Everett follows the main actions of Twain's story faithfully, adding a few of his own. Everett's humor is less broad; he uses a great deal of irony to make his points. His prose is witty and biting and his tale is propulsive.
Publication 2024
Everett employs the concept of language as a through line which connects the dots of his story. Language is used as a disguise and as a form of resistance against dehumanization, as well as to communicate.
In this tale, the enslaved persons are fluent in switching between standard English with large vocabularies that they use among themselves and the stunted vernacular that they speak around white people. This “correct incorrect grammar” is drilled into their youngsters to support the illusion that these Black people are less intelligent and competent than White people.
“White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them. The better they feel, the safer we are.”
“At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.”
This concept is one of the reasons books are banned and destroyed, why education of slaves was forbidden. Is it so different from what is going on today?
“My interest is in how these marks that I am scratching on this page can mean anything at all. If they can have meaning, then life can have meaning, then I can have meaning.”
In the end, James is finally able to begin writing the words to his life, defining himself on his own terms.
Everett follows the main actions of Twain's story faithfully, adding a few of his own. Everett's humor is less broad; he uses a great deal of irony to make his points. His prose is witty and biting and his tale is propulsive.
Publication 2024
April 3, 2024
Percival Everett’s reimagining of the American classic Huckleberry Finn couldn’t be more timely or important. At a time when—inconceivably—this country is banning books like To Kill a Mockingbird and Beloved, and a Florida governor is talking about the “benefits” of slavery, we need a book like James to meet this frightening moment.
But first, let’s talk about Mark Twain. Percival Everett says in his acknowledgments that his “humor and humanity affected me long before I became a writer.” Indeed, Mark Twain was ahead of his time, lampooning American society and its hypocrisy when few others dared to do it. Which makes the irony of Huckleberry Finn being banned because of its use of the N-word all the more absurd.
Percival Everett doesn’t shy from using that reviled word. He’s writing about his time, but he’s also correcting the perception that Huckleberry Finn is a white boy’s story. His viewpoint is that of the slave Jim’s, whose story it really was all along.
As in his book Erasure (the inspiration for the movie American Fiction), there’s a lot about how Black people speak. Their very lives are hinged upon how well they master the language expectations of the “massa” (sho’ enuf, massa) or “dat be da best conebrad”). A minstrel scene about James pretending to be a white man in Black face demonstrates beautifully how silly the whole concept of judging by skin color is.
It's been years since I read Huckleberry Finn, but memories came flooding back to me, particularly the scenes with the King and the Duke. Interestingly, James can tell they are con men way before Huck based on his need to size up white men quickly.
James is wise and cynical enough to know the truth of the world. When he acquires a pencil—with horrible consequences—he writes, “With this pencil I write myself into being.” Too many enslaved men and women did not have the luxury to write their own story; it was communicated for them. By writing James, Percival Everett takes a step toward correcting that, by enabling James to narrate his own story.
This book is phenomenally good and should be taught along with Huckleberry Finn at all schools. That is, if our democracy survives. Six stars!
But first, let’s talk about Mark Twain. Percival Everett says in his acknowledgments that his “humor and humanity affected me long before I became a writer.” Indeed, Mark Twain was ahead of his time, lampooning American society and its hypocrisy when few others dared to do it. Which makes the irony of Huckleberry Finn being banned because of its use of the N-word all the more absurd.
Percival Everett doesn’t shy from using that reviled word. He’s writing about his time, but he’s also correcting the perception that Huckleberry Finn is a white boy’s story. His viewpoint is that of the slave Jim’s, whose story it really was all along.
As in his book Erasure (the inspiration for the movie American Fiction), there’s a lot about how Black people speak. Their very lives are hinged upon how well they master the language expectations of the “massa” (sho’ enuf, massa) or “dat be da best conebrad”). A minstrel scene about James pretending to be a white man in Black face demonstrates beautifully how silly the whole concept of judging by skin color is.
It's been years since I read Huckleberry Finn, but memories came flooding back to me, particularly the scenes with the King and the Duke. Interestingly, James can tell they are con men way before Huck based on his need to size up white men quickly.
James is wise and cynical enough to know the truth of the world. When he acquires a pencil—with horrible consequences—he writes, “With this pencil I write myself into being.” Too many enslaved men and women did not have the luxury to write their own story; it was communicated for them. By writing James, Percival Everett takes a step toward correcting that, by enabling James to narrate his own story.
This book is phenomenally good and should be taught along with Huckleberry Finn at all schools. That is, if our democracy survives. Six stars!
June 23, 2024
A WORTHY COMPANION to Twain’s Huck Finn. I gasped and physically reacted to sections. Who would dare set themselves up for comparison (with near guaranteed embarrassment) to Twain’s masterpiece? Percival Everett, I guess. And Christ does he pull it off. I will make the argument that Jim’s perspective is of greater use to readers than Huck’s. This is an important book.
April 27, 2024
A creative reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that is told from Jim's perspective, and is a much better book than Twain's novel. This book could have been titled The Adventures of James or The Trials and Tribulations of James. It's a very fast-paced and thrilling book. The characters are fascinating and complex, some of them could have novels of their own that I would (i.e. Norman or the enslaved man in the riverboat). I think James would make a great film, think Django Unchained but with a Black filmmaker like Cord Jefferson or Gina Prince-Bythewood. Make sure you read this one!!!
May 7, 2024
An excellent return to the Huckleberry Finn universe, this time from the point of view of Jim. Feels crafted to be a high school companion piece to the famed original novel which might otherwise have gone out of fashion as a stand alone. Readers of all ages should appreciate the literary interaction, however, and will be reminded of many dark realities of mid-19th Century America.
Everett handles the issue of dialect well, both capturing the flavor of Mark Twain's rendering, but also revealing that Jim only speaks this way to appease white expectations. Pacing is perhaps speedier than Twain, based on my memory. Jim travels from one adventure/horror to the next in quick succession, offering only fleeting commentary on each situation. I would have liked more of Jim's perspective, not just his point of view. The quick pacing is probably appreciated for a high school audience, though.
Overall, I think the book's buzz is slightly overrated but there's no question it's a wonderful reimagining that both celebrates the source material and gives voice to a major character whose perspective was long overdue.
Everett handles the issue of dialect well, both capturing the flavor of Mark Twain's rendering, but also revealing that Jim only speaks this way to appease white expectations. Pacing is perhaps speedier than Twain, based on my memory. Jim travels from one adventure/horror to the next in quick succession, offering only fleeting commentary on each situation. I would have liked more of Jim's perspective, not just his point of view. The quick pacing is probably appreciated for a high school audience, though.
Overall, I think the book's buzz is slightly overrated but there's no question it's a wonderful reimagining that both celebrates the source material and gives voice to a major character whose perspective was long overdue.
June 23, 2024
4.5 stars rounded up
This is such a brilliant concept, and the writing is excellent. James is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim. For those who haven't read the original, Jim is an enslaved Black man who is a key side character. Part of the issue people (understandably) have with the original novel is the way it plays into racist stereotypes and glosses over the horrific realities of slavery in lieu of an adventure & coming of age story.
James then offers a wildly different perspective and subverts those stereotypes in ways that are at once entertaining and sharply pointed. We see not only James' intelligence and humanity, but how those things exist in so many other enslaved people as well. If anything, it becomes the bigoted white characters who often show themselves to be less intelligent despite their puffed up airs. A major theme is the power of language and education, and the assumptions people make about intelligence based on how people speak. I think there's a good reason this book is getting so much attention and I would recommend it widely.
This is such a brilliant concept, and the writing is excellent. James is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim. For those who haven't read the original, Jim is an enslaved Black man who is a key side character. Part of the issue people (understandably) have with the original novel is the way it plays into racist stereotypes and glosses over the horrific realities of slavery in lieu of an adventure & coming of age story.
James then offers a wildly different perspective and subverts those stereotypes in ways that are at once entertaining and sharply pointed. We see not only James' intelligence and humanity, but how those things exist in so many other enslaved people as well. If anything, it becomes the bigoted white characters who often show themselves to be less intelligent despite their puffed up airs. A major theme is the power of language and education, and the assumptions people make about intelligence based on how people speak. I think there's a good reason this book is getting so much attention and I would recommend it widely.
May 8, 2024
I think I need to sit with this, and perhaps after doing that I will augment this review. Or maybe I don't have a lot to say about this masterpiece. It is tragic, action-packed, funny and redemptive and it tells the story of a real man and of America, then and now. In his GR interview Everett said he could not have told Huck's story, and that Twain couldn't write this story. I kept remembering that as I listened to this audiobook, and though I would never have had that thought independently it feels absolutely accurate. (The narration by Dominic Hoffman is stellar by the way.) I have read Huck Finn five times and listened to the audio with my then teenage son on a road trip to Memphis. It is one of my favorite books. While I think the grounding in the original may have made me love this a hair more, I don't think it was necessary. This stands on its own, though knowing the basics of the original would be helpful. In the end, the books have very little to do with one another, they are as related and as unrelated as Brave New World is to The Tempest. A new classic is born.
June 1, 2024
Don’t think you’re reading another Twain
This book is filled with so much pain
It reimagines all Huck Finn
From the perspective of poor Jim
—Though in this version his name is James
And he’s a writer like Baldwin James
So articulate bright and brave
Far from your cliché of a slave
Well-read in Rousseau and so on
He knows way more than he lets on
Not that he really has a choice
Slaves ain’t supposed to have no voice
The only way not to be dead?
Keep your damn thoughts inside your head
For in those days were slaves to speak
They would be hanged within a week
April 16, 2024
5 uppercase AAAAAs for It Was AMAZING
April 3, 2024
INCREDIBLE. I don’t know how Percival does it. Just hit after hit. What a read! I think he's my current favourite writer.
There's something to be said about reimagining or reinvigorating a story that sought to disappear a main character in the experience of another. Everett flips everything on its head. I've never read Mark Twain's main story, yet through skillful reverse engineering and forward-thinking creativity - I could read that story without ever having read that story. Ironically, this matches the experience for me this past weekend listening to Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé. For those who know, they know. Black folks are raking through the past and pulling out the truths of history, the horrors, the lies, the hiding of things and that's got white folks shook. Everett creatively shaping truths and putting them out and it being celebrated illustrates the ways that men, sometimes, in a patriarchy, get more leeway to engage in that exploration, and naturally women are challenged on every front. Doesn't mean they stop, but they are challenged. Doesn't mean they stop. Go listen to Cowboy Carter.
James is something else. Everett managed to push me through so many thought processes, he exposed my own deep inner thoughts around code-switching, tone-policing, etc and the legacy of what that has done to the community, the bad and surprisingly the good. Everett pushed me through EMOTIONSSS.
The last sequences of the book reminded me of the realities, similar realities explored in another book, David Diop's At Night All Blood is Black. Another incredible read. Why wouldn't a man reflect the craziness that he's been pushed into? Trying to right a wrong, a deep wrong, can be an unscalable mountain, especially when barriers have been erected and then hidden under a pile of shit and a lethal level of lynch-based violence that many are trying to pretend doesn't exist or has been eradicated in 2024. It hasn't been. I kept wondering while reading: how?? where are we going to go with this?? where is he going??? how is James going to? What is the...? Where is the...? How can we possibly...? How can he..? Does he...? Will he...? Percival Everett had me.
This book has layers. Layers upon layers. I couldn't even get into talking about the layers with my book club because it's something that needs to be experienced. Some folks won't get the layers. Some will want to ignore them. This book will stay with you for a long time after that last page though!
There's something to be said about reimagining or reinvigorating a story that sought to disappear a main character in the experience of another. Everett flips everything on its head. I've never read Mark Twain's main story, yet through skillful reverse engineering and forward-thinking creativity - I could read that story without ever having read that story. Ironically, this matches the experience for me this past weekend listening to Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé. For those who know, they know. Black folks are raking through the past and pulling out the truths of history, the horrors, the lies, the hiding of things and that's got white folks shook. Everett creatively shaping truths and putting them out and it being celebrated illustrates the ways that men, sometimes, in a patriarchy, get more leeway to engage in that exploration, and naturally women are challenged on every front. Doesn't mean they stop, but they are challenged. Doesn't mean they stop. Go listen to Cowboy Carter.
James is something else. Everett managed to push me through so many thought processes, he exposed my own deep inner thoughts around code-switching, tone-policing, etc and the legacy of what that has done to the community, the bad and surprisingly the good. Everett pushed me through EMOTIONSSS.
The last sequences of the book reminded me of the realities, similar realities explored in another book, David Diop's At Night All Blood is Black. Another incredible read. Why wouldn't a man reflect the craziness that he's been pushed into? Trying to right a wrong, a deep wrong, can be an unscalable mountain, especially when barriers have been erected and then hidden under a pile of shit and a lethal level of lynch-based violence that many are trying to pretend doesn't exist or has been eradicated in 2024. It hasn't been. I kept wondering while reading: how?? where are we going to go with this?? where is he going??? how is James going to? What is the...? Where is the...? How can we possibly...? How can he..? Does he...? Will he...? Percival Everett had me.
This book has layers. Layers upon layers. I couldn't even get into talking about the layers with my book club because it's something that needs to be experienced. Some folks won't get the layers. Some will want to ignore them. This book will stay with you for a long time after that last page though!
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