"James" by Percival Everett offers a fresh and compelling take on the classic story of Huck Finn, while also providing a deeply insightful look into the inner lives of enslaved people. Everett's masterful use of language to characterise James, the protagonist, adds another layer of richness to this already captivating narrative.

If I ever read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn it was probably at school and, if I did, I remember next to nothing about the story. If you’re in the same position, I’d recommend reading a summary of Mark Twain’s book so you can appreciate the ways in which Percival Everett has reimagined the story, especially in the first part of the book. This follows broadly the events in Huckleberry Finn but told from the point of view of the enslaved Jim. He prefers the name James but, of course, as a slave he’s used to being addressed in far more abusive terms.

James is not the person his owner thinks he is. He’s intelligent, knowledgeable, can read and write, and possesses an extensive vocabulary. At one point he debates with another slave whether something is ‘proleptic irony’ or ‘dramatic irony’. There’s sly humour in the fact the slaves use eloquent language when conversing amongst themselves but adopt a way of speaking they believe their masters expect when in their presence. “White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them.” It’s as if their only power is to hide their true selves.

Escaping with Huck on a flimsy raft, the pair have many adventures on their voyage along the Mississippi. There are narrow escapes from death and they encounter many colourful, but not necessarily commendable, characters. Each saves the other from potential death at some point but, of course, it’s James who risks certain death if he is recaptured. Although Huck and James form a bond, there are still things James keeps from him, such as hiding the fact he can read. Other things as well.

In later sections of the book, the pair are separated for a time and it’s just James’s experiences we witness. This includes the bizarre episode when James is recruited into a minstrel show and finds himself a black man disguised as a white man entertaining white people by pretending to be a black man. They even perform a cakewalk, something actually intended to mock white people but which their audience doesn’t realise. A double irony, notes James.

The book doesn’t shy away from describing the brutality endured by enslaved people: the grotesquely harsh punishments for minor offences, the sexual abuse of women and young girls. And for all James’s intelligence, he’s still the possession of another person, and so are his wife and children. His desperation to be reunited with them is inspiring but also heart-breaking as we witness just what it’s like to have no power over your own future.

James is a brilliantly inventive, subversive retelling of an American classic that touches on issues of inequality that persist today. I can see it winning many literary prizes.

Meg Stacey <meg.stacey12@gmail.com>
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Wed, May 8, 11:46 AM (2 days ago)
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OOFT. Where to start. Bold, and equal parts gripping & moving, I might even go so far as agreeing with the New York Times in calling Percival Everett's latest novel James a "masterpiece".

The novel is a reboot of Mark Twain's 1884 novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and is narrated by Jim, a Black slave, who is forced to flee his family when he overhears that he is to be sold. Everett flips the perspective of the events in Huckleberry Finn, in which the boy narrator, Huck, flees his home only to run into Jim, his guardian's slave. Whilst many of the hallmark Huckleberry Finn tropes remain (floods, and storms, and a dangerous journey along the vast Mississippi river), Everett masterfully paints a new Jim. This Jim is intelligent, independent and compassionate, casting his character in a whole new light, which I loved.

Everett's Jim is a warrior, of the reluctant sort. He is literate and stows away a notebook that was stolen for him by a fellow slave, who was subsequently lynched for the act. After becoming a runaway, Jim runs into Huck, who has recently fled his own family in an attempt to escape his violent father. And so begins their adventure, down the Mississippi River towards the elusive promise of the Free States beyond.

We are pretty sure James will become a classic and Everett a "literary icon", quote Oprah (and if Oprah says so...). Like Twain, Everett masterfully weaves a story that is funny, thrilling and soulful - I was captivated by the storyline, and on the edge of my seat reading some parts. From a wised-up slave's point of view, Everett explores the failings of society's past and futility of it all.

Not a bad thing to say about this one - loved it!

I have read a number of Percival Everett books, the most recent being The Trees and find his novels excellent. I think James, a retelling of the Huckleberry Finn stories with a contemporary twist is perhaps his best yet.
Part comic novel, part thriller and in parts truly horrifying, James is a modern classic. A magnificent read.

All the stars. I've been a fan of Percival Everetts work for some time now and this did not disappoint. A Masterpiece.

James is a retelling of the American Classic Huckleberry Finn . It's told from the perspective of Jim a slave who escapes his Master when he overhears he is about to be sold and separated from his family.

This is one of my favourite books from 2024 and I'm sure it will hit many bestseller lists. A gripping Historical Modern Masterpiece that will capitative any audience. Loved it.

Thank you in advance for an ARC

A powerful reimagining of Huckleberry Finn
But this time we’re seeing it from Jim’s perspective
Slavery is placed at the centre of the story, with beatings, lynchings and rapes
Through Jim we learn more about enslaved people
You’re left wanting to know more about Jim’s back story - it’s shocking and brutal
You don’t have to have read Huckleberry Finn to understand this book
This certainly isn’t as idyllic as Huckleberry Finn, but it will be a classic in its own right
Thanks @percivaleverett @panmacmillan & @netgalley for the thought provoking read

I had read that it would be action packed and funny; I'm not sure it was exactly funny although it had humour at times, but it was definitely action packed and really well-written. I can't remember the original story of Huckleberry Finn and I don't think it mattered too much, I loved following James (Jim) as he escapes and then plots his return to free his wife and daughter, and the characters he meets. I think Percival Everett did something really clever in using historical fiction to weave so many current (sadly) themes in a way that didn't feel forced, and I really enjoyed reading this.

Percival Everett, known for his biting satire and clever inversions of story tropes, turns his laser focus on Huckleberry Finn, and does it excellently here.

Right from the beginning of this novel, you realise that you are in the hands of a master of his craft- the inversion of Jim, an enslaved man, to James, a man who understands everything that is going around him, but plays the role expected of him, allows this narrative to really sing. He is able to unpick this American classic, and find the parts that have been hiding in plain sight.

James is a novel that doesn't disappoint, full of vibrant characters, historical detail and a homage to Twain's original. The character of James emerges from the narrative as an exceptionally intelligent (socially and emotionally) man, always cognisant of his categorisation as slave/property but defiant in the ways that society permits, on the cusp of a new world. In spite of the cruelty imposed by the slave-owners, James is an elegy to the South, the way of the life, the contradictions and rhythms of humanity.

Really excellent. Unlike most Americans, I have never read Huck Finn so the whole plot was a surprise.

This was a thought provoking read with an unexpected ending. The story is mainly narrative driven, but I did feel this was important for the characters to reveal their personalities against the expectations of the original story that inspired this novel. It took me a little time (maybe about a fifth of the book) before I felt I really started to know 'Jim' - I think he becomes a more rounded character once he has escaped. The way he is treated as a black slave is simply appalling, but no surprise - sadly. What this book does is offer an alternative reality where he is able to find consolation in almost every situation. I was astounded by Jim's selfless acts and bravery on several occasions as he helped others to escape in even worse situations - at great risk to his own safety.

There is comedy, too, in this book - particularly when he is sold to become a minstrel and has to be 'blacked up.' His relationship with Huck is special and something which is clearly important to Jim. I was intrigued by him being able to read and talk properly to other slaves: their patois being 'assumed' to hide their intelligence.

Don't miss this book - it will make you laugh and cry. It heartbreaking really, but Jim tries to make the best of every situation and help all those around him. I thought that the final section where he claims 'James' to shape his identity as being powerful and offering some semblance of hope that the world could have been a better place for him and his family.

Percival Everett always has interesting and though provoking things to say. He makes his books very readable by keeping them concise and with a hefty dose of the very blackest humour. James is an intelligent book, but it wears its depth lightly. Before reading James I ordered Huckleberry Finn from the library, having not read it for nearly 50 years, but couldn't bring myself to read it. However, you don't need to have read the Twain version to read this. It inhabits the same world but stands on its own feet. It's clever, makes you think, but is also an enjoyable read.

“White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them”

JAMES BY PERCIVAL EVERETT

The threat of being sold and being separated from his wife and daughter compels black slave Jim to run away for while hiding to decide on his next steps. Unexpectedly he finds white boy Huck, who joins him to avoid his father, in woods which causes more troubles to Jim who just wanted to hide for a while.. as he is suspected of kidnapping and murder!!

Now they go through a series of adventures and survive hard struggles to a surprising revelation at the end of the book

The story has some violence and interesting showdows but still also has it’s funny moments showing us that the author is a master in the language

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn just got better and you have to read it!!! I have tried to give how amazing the author is with the quote and book excerpts in the post, that should convince you. There are more Brilliant moments but I don’t wanna give any spoilers 😊

You may find the book blurb familiar and indeed this is a glorious retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.....the same adventure, but from a totally different perspective, Jim's.

The adventure itself is a pageturner; it's thrilling and as much as it's horrifying, there are beautiful moments of humour, warmth and compassion. Despite the confinement of slavery, Jim asserts his humanity and this and the developing relationship between Jim and Huck are joyous to read.

Aside from all that, what was fantastic about this book was the depiction of life in slavery, the human impact. Through Jim's narrative we are forced to reflect on the incomprehensible inhumanity of slavery. A difficult subject matter, however Everett's writing creates a wholly readable and thought provoking tale. I devoured this book and recommend it to everyone

James by Percival Everett is a masterful story that is clever, creative and hugely enjoyable. James is the slave that Huckleberry Finn escaped with in the Mark Twain classic Huckleberry Finn and this is his story. We find out what happened to James when he is separated from Huck; and we realize how much danger he was really in. The characters in this one are multi-layered. This is a powerful story.

A terrific claiming of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from the perspective of "Jim", the enslaved man who accompanies Huck down the Mississippi. Everett gives him back a full name—James—and names are important in the book; enslaved people don't necessarily get to choose their own, and the power of choosing one, especially a surname, is recurrently evoked. James is literate, occasionally engaging in imaginary dialogues with Rousseau and Locke (paternalists and racists both). He teaches his children what amounts to a different language, the drawling, passive, infantile "dialect" that white people expect from Black people, and which is the only safe way for them to speak around whites. There's something almost Colson Whitehead-ish about it, that combination of science fictional affect and historical truth that a totally different reality underlies what the whites of Missouri believe to be their world.

Huckleberry Finn, as I said when I read it for the first time last year, is a dark, scary book: danger from the natural world, and the possibility of violence and death at the hands of other humans, suffuse it. James is just the same. Even white folks who "don't believe in" slavery are untrustworthy: Daniel Decatur Emmett, the leader of a minstrel troupe that "hires" James to be its tenor, "sounds like every slaver I ever heard" when he finds James has left in the night. Even other enslaved people can betray: Luke, a fellow sawmill worker, has internalised his position and spies for his owner. James sees whites not as the oppressors (that presupposes the existence of victims, he says), but as the enemy—yet he loves, protects and shelters Huck. The reason for that is both guessable a mile away and still made me gasp when it was finally revealed. Thank God James has something that approaches a happy ending—and it isn't, to my immense relief, Twain's ending. Beautiful work, this. Pulitzer and Booker material, I hope.

I had recently read Trees, and loved Everett’s storytelling style so much that I could resist in requesting ‘James’. Here, Percival Everett offers a daring reinvention of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" through the POV of the enigmatic Jim, now with the dignity of his own name - James. Everett bravely delves deep into the pre-Civil War American South, presenting us with a tale that's a harrowing journey to freedom and an insightful commentary on the complexities of identity and language.

James, poised to be severed from his family by slavery's cruel hand, finds an unlikely companion in young Huck Finn. The pair's voyage down the Mississippi River is as much an odyssey of self-discovery as it is a flight from oppression.

Everett's prose is just as sharp as in Trees, his narrative charge relentless; ‘James’ doesn't merely echo the classic from which it draws inspiration—it challenges it. Everett confronts the original's inherent racism and transforms it into a narrative of empowerment and enlightenment. The nuanced development of James and Huck, set against a nation on the cusp of war, showcases Everett’s literary mastery.

Percival Everett doesn't simply tell a story; he invites readers into a profound dialogue with history, the is a powerful act. Of transformative fiction at is best.

Thanks Netgalley for the advance readers copy

I'll admit, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn wasn't my favourite book growing up, however, the character Jim has always fascinated me and I wanted to read more about him over the other characters, so I was glad to find James; especially by one of my favourite authors. As with many of his other works, Percival Everett shows humour and horror side-by-side in life in this interesting work of satire as we follow Jim (we learn that his real name is James), a slave who must cultivate an act of ignorance to survive when in actuality he is a highly intelligent and insightful man compared to many of the others around him.

James is such a thought-provoking book that had me hooked cover to cover, unable to put it down. With themes of survival, identity and satire, Percival Everett shows an unflinching look into the lives of slaves in America, especially during the Civil War; a time already steeped in tension and fear.

I highly recommend James to everyone alongside all of Percival Everett's works, especially to those who enjoy seeing novels from another perspective.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a fantastic read James is. It had my laughing with tears in my eyes!
That being said it's such a thought provoking book that makes you stand up and listen.
It's definitely not for the faint hearted there's moments in the book that made me angry, frustrated and sad.
What the author Everett has written something brilliantly unique to the market.

James takes the great novel Huckleberry Finn as a starting point, however it is told from the point of view of the slave, Jim, rather than Huck, and as their paths diverge later in the story we follow Jim to a very different outcome.
This is an unflinching look at the life of slaves in America. The cruelty and fear they live with on a day to day basis is unbearable but Percival Everett writes the slaves with intelligence and humour. Their use of “slave language” is merely to make the white people believe they are stupid and lull them into a false sense of security. Here Jim has taught himself to read and write, he runs with a clear purpose; to make money and come back for his family. Huck is useful to him as he can travel more easily in the presence of a white boy.
As their paths separate and Everett invents new trials for Jim the book really takes off. He is forced to join a minstrel group and “black up” as he needs to pass a white playing black. The dark humour doesn’t last long as he sees an even more evil side to the slave trade than he has braved before. The ending is clever and tragic all at the same time, the realisation that a slave could never really have a family life. They were lucky to be allowed to stay together if their masters chose. This is an immensely powerful novel and one that will haunt me for a long time.