James is an absolutely brilliant reimagining of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" from Jim/ James’ perspective as he confronts the harsh realities of his circumstances having escaped from enslavement and seeking his freedom - it’s not always an easy read however it’s a truly moving and engaging one.
I anticipate that this will be one of the top breeds of 2024 it’s definitely one of mine.

Percival Everett has done it again: as if it was not enough to have penned a perfect takedown of the publishing industry (in Erasure), or a deft, side-splitting spin on a deadly serious detective thriller (in Booker-nominated The Trees), now he's taken on Mark Twain, and triumphed - James is a pitch-perfect revision of a familiar tune; a relentless, remarkable rewriting of a Great American Novel that might even be better than the original...

Knowledge of Twain's (now much-critiqued) novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is useful, but not essential here - although the plot still roughly follows that of the source material, Everett offers a reworking which is at once page-turning and expertly-crafted; deeply aware of its historical context, and yet still resonating with the social and racial concerns of our current times. The plot is pacy, the prose is sharp and assured and lucid, and the ending - not to spoil anything! - is masterful, flawless.

As I was reading the novel, I was struck with the thought that no other author could have risen to such a challenge, and lived to tell the tale (quite literally) - if there is any book to pick up as soon as it hits the shelves this year (I loved it so much, I'm going to order a physical copy myself to re-read), make James the one.

Thank you so much to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC!

It's over forty years since the first and only time I read Huckleberry Finn. I remembered parts of it: Jim, Huck in a dress, the raft, the con men, and several close encounters with riverboats. I remember it being Huck's story, with Jim as more of a supporting (if often pivotal) character.

Who better to tell Jim's version of this story than Percival Everett? I can't think of anyone else who could turn so much of Twain's book on its head while hewing closely enough (for much of the book) to the story beats of the original.

Everett throws a few choice wild cards into the mix, not least an early lesson in how to talk "slave" so white people don't feel threatened. This reverse code-switching is the source of a lot of humor in the book, and also a source of sorrow as it becomes clear how necessary it is. Everett leans into how Huck faking his own death close to the same time that Jim ran away raised the stakes to effectively mean a death sentence were Jim ever to be captured. He ratchets up the tension in ways Twain never did - he was notionally writing for kids, after all.

It's clear that Jim doesn't entirely trust Huck, and with reason, because the kid has no concept of how the world really works. Huck can't grasp how different Jim's life is, or how much more dangerous everything is for Jim than it is for him. He is told over and over again that he's too young to convince as Jim's "owner" but he won't believe it. He doesn't understand consequences and is too trusting of people, both of which make him dangerous even though he means well and seems to genuinely care for Jim. There's a lesson in there about privilege, and it's just one of many.

So, this book is emphatically not about Huck Finn, even though he's in it. It is really the story of how "Jim" becomes "James", about how far a man will go to find and free his family, and about how much suffering he will endure and witness along the way. There is danger, there is (so much) cruelty, but there are also little glittering moments of unexpected kindness (a cough as a hand reaches for a biscuit, for example), of fellowship, and of bravery.

Tl;dr: Percival Everett has done it again. You will be hearing a lot about James in the coming months, and rightly so.

Thank you to the team at Pan Macmillan for the digital galley and for my first 5 star read of 2024.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

'James' is a brilliantly written novel. Although, of course it is inspired by 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' it feels fresh and gives voice to the character of Jim. The social commentary is clear here on the symbolism of language as a form of power and control.

I highly recommend this novel and look forward to its publication and the reaction of a wider readership.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

I wondered if I would have had to of read Huckleberry Finn before this one, which I hadn't but was advised by another reader that this wouldn't matter and glad I took the chance as I really enjoyed reading this book. The story begins with us meeting James aka Jim a slave currently working in the North. When he gets to hear about his owners selling him to someone else in New Orleans he decides to run away with a notion to come back later for his wife and children. However when he is hiding out that night he also bumps in to Huck and together they decide to head South. I really liked the writing and flow of this book it was absorbing. As they travel down the huge Mississippi river they encounter many characters along the way some nicer than others. I was rooting for both Jim and Huck the whole way. I will be recommending to others.

Percival Everett’s ‘James’ is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn that requires little prior knowledge of the original text. Huck’s friendship with Tom Sawyer is given a couple of passing references, Tom barely even a character in this novel - Everett is not aiming to appeal to nostalgic fans of the original texts. Instead, by centring Jim, the slave who unwittingly ends up on an adventure with Huck, Everett finds a new lens to tell a moving and hugely enjoyable story about race, violence, freedom and language.

I’ve only read one other Everett novel, ‘The Trees’, and upon starting James was immediately reminded of how readable and engaging his prose is. James is less rooted in humour than The Trees, but the dialogue is every bit as clever. Everett does really interesting things with the code switching of the slaves, who have to put on a performance in front of any white people they come across in order to avoid being confronted with violence. They talk in a language that is learned so as to not appear above their station and risk offending their temperamental, savage owners; only when alone are they safe to break character. It’s a very effective literary device, and Everett uses it throughout to add depth to his characters, to show how calculated their every move has to be, and also to build some incredibly tense scenes.

Here, as with The Trees, Everett showcases his gift for crafting characters. Jim himself is thoughtful, intelligent and restrained, while Huck is a ball of constant energy, always looking out for his pal. Their relationship is perfectly balanced, and you feel every bit of Jim’s affection for the hapless kid he’s forced to look out for - and forced to hide his true self from to avoid revealing too much. Other characters from the original novel are brilliantly reimagined, with The King and The Duke as utterly detestable and terrifying villains that Jim and Huck encounter on their way.

This is an incredibly clever and moving reimagining of the classic novel. A true page-turner, with its fair share of both humour and genuinely devastating gut punches.

A brilliant novel. It does all I ask from a good one: great protagonist (in this case also narrator, James (the Jim of Huckleberry Finn's adventures) whose new voice draws you to his world and mind with unerring pull; a proper plot and peripeteia that even if you think you may know, you don't; Ideas galore about history, education, politics presented in an unfailing narrative-driven manner; and last but not least that unmistakably (I think!) Everett's humour - wry, ironic, knowing and always totally FUN, but intelligent, intellectually stimulating fun: the entertainment that asks big questions by presenting radically human circumstances that have to be navigated with grit, wit, hope... a bit like the Mississippi that structures the runaway's quest...

So, proper adult entertainment. A novel that as it opened with a page inscribed "The Notebook of Daniel Decatur Emmett" I thought I would not be able to read, so difficult I found to understand and enjoy what seemed to me like transcriptions of (invented?) folk songs... well, they ARE, and they are real. We are made to read (no music) "Ole Dan Tucker", "Old Zip Coon" "Turkey in the Straw" "The Blue-Tail Fly"... and it is sobering reading. I should have known that the songs are real, that Daniel Emmett existed in real life... that he was (according to Wikipedia "an American composer, entertainer, and founder of the first troupe of the blackface minstrel tradition, the Virginia Minstrels.[2] He is most remembered as the composer of the song "Dixie". A notebook, language... the power of writing... no spoilers from me. This novel has to be read and enjoyed.

With tremendous thanks to the publisher, Pan MacMillan via NetGalley from letting me read an advanced copy and review this tremendous novel, James.

Focussing on the character of James ‘Jim’ in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is an interesting flip. Bearing in mind that I haven’t read the original story for nearly 40 years, I still recognised some of the scenarios that befell the two characters. This didn’t distract me from enjoying James or reading it without further reference to the original story other than a distant memory. The different point of view didn’t jar or feel like it was being forced into the narrative, it flowed really well. Of course it’s not an easy read, James's treatment by slave owners and townsfolk and his witnessing of rape and daily violence is not shied away from but it is sensitively dealt with. Well worth a read.

Mr. Everett is retelling Huckleberry Finn: this time it's told from Jim's perspective and for some reason, it rewrites how I remember the story. He's about to be sold, and he wants to run away. He met Huck, the boy who ran away from his abusive dad.

Everett managed to put voice onto Jim: he's not just a mere sidekick, but a quick-witted person with wishes to be free like everybody else. The voices were distinct and clear; with some funny bones injected. Through his eyes, we experience the cruelty of slavery, the silliness of prejudice, and the flicker of hope that propels him forward. Jim's narrative is lacing a tone of humor, satire, and raw emotion, embodying him as a complex, multifaceted character.

While the original Huckleberry Finn, at least for me, doesn't age well because Twain failed to overcome prevailing racial stereotypes. There are such thing as white savior, as apparent it could be during tumultuous political age we are in.

“You know, you ain’t much darker ’n me.”
“I be dark nuff.”
“How come you’re a slave?”
“’Cause my mama was one.”
“What about your pa?” he asked.
“Prolly not. But it don’ matter . If’n dey know one o’ yo kin colored, den you colored. Don’ matter what you looks lak.”

😭

This is a powerful reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The story begins as the original does, with Huck and Jim hiding out along the Mississippi River on a makeshift raft (Huck has faked his own death; Jim is fleeing a life of slavery). Only this time, we’re seeing it all from Jim’s perspective.

In Huckleberry Finn, the weight of slavery is present but often on the margins of the main story. Here it’s placed front and centre, with multiple beatings, lynchings, and rapes on top of the already pervasive racism. We see the measures enslaved people take to avoid the worst of this, from code-switching to ‘passing’ as white. There are still farces and escapades, but the overall tone is heavier. The stakes feel so much higher. You don't have to have read Huckleberry Finn to enjoy this, but I'm glad I did. It's fun to track where Everett has stayed faithful to the story, made slight alterations, or radically changed the narrative. We also don’t get as much insight into Huck here, so I found it useful to already have a grounding in him as a character.

I did enjoy this for the most part, but I often felt I was left wanting to know more about Jim’s backstory. What was the nature of his childhood friendship with Huck’s mother? When did he find the time to read Kierkegaard? There are several interesting or important things that are referenced once and then not really explored any further. Which brings me to my main issue with this book. About 80% of the way in, Everett introduces a MASSIVE plot twist seemingly out of nowhere. You could say that some of the groundwork for this was laid earlier on but I’d argue not enough for it to fully make sense. The revelation serves as a minor plot device for a couple of chapters, then has very little bearing on the rest of the story going forward. It was completely unnecessary for me (the story packs enough punch without it), but I could have gotten behind it if it was used as an opportunity to explore new themes or plotlines. As it was, it only made the ending feel slightly hollow because I didn’t feel like I really understood anyone’s motivations anymore.

Thank you NetGalley and PanMacmillian for this e-ARC!

I absolutely adored this book. Everett is such a talented writer - every sentence sparkles. I confess that I am not a Huckleberry Finn fan, but I wanted to read this book just for the cleverness of the premise, and it fully delivered. Everett’s Jim is thoughtful, funny, and richly developed, and he applies that same level of care to each character in the novel.

The retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the eyes and voice of Jim - funny, sad, brutal, thought provoking and beautifully told.
We follow their adventurous journey along the Mississippi River in their bid for freedom, with the last part of the book taking a slight deviation from the original, which I really liked.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

After reading The Trees and finding it absolutely captivating, I had high hopes for James and I am so pleased to say that I was not disappointed in the least! Everett has managed to reimagine a childhood favourite and present it in a completely different light. 5/5

One of my top 10 reads of 2023 & will recommend everyone to read it.

Such a devastating insight into slavery traumatic experiences, brought to life via following James, his thoughts & feelings as freedoms his family & other slaverys he finds on his way.

The writing is beautifully & I will never forget this. This book should be on education curriculum, to change racist abusive & controlled cultures around the world.

First off I need to say that I enjoyed the The Trees much more than I did James but reading other reviews I feel like I missed something in this book that others got. Also, whether it makes a difference or not I have never read Huckleberry Finn, nor did I actually know the story so I’m in no position to say how any characters in James differ from those in Mark Twain’s version.

Some things that I really loved about this novel are the character of James himself and the fact that the slaves speak two languages. One in front of white people and one amongst themselves, with the latter often being more educated that than of the white people. I particularly enjoyed the scene near the start where James is giving the children a lesson on slave speak and quizzing the kids on how they should respond in certain situations, the key points being to never speak first, never look a white person in the eye, never make a white person feel like you know more than them etc etc.

What I was less keen on was that I found it quite difficult to get in to this book. Then once in to it I’d be hooked for a while and then it would seem to meander off again for a bit.

For me, this book lacked the sardonic humour that The Trees had. That in itself isn’t a negative but I loved The Tree so much that my expectations/hopes for James were possibly a little too high.

I’ve been debating for quite some time whether this is a 3 or 4 star book and I’m setting with 4 as if I compare it to other books that I’d rate as 3 then I would be doing this novel a disservice. Percival Everett is definitely a clever man with plenty to say and I look forward to reading his other books in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

"James" is the reimagining story of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, now told from the enslaved Jim's point of view.

This story begins at the same point as was Huckleberry Finn. Jim heard about Miss Watson's intention to sell him, while Huck was apprehensive following news that his abusive Pap is coming home. Both slave and boy ran away that night. First to the Jackson island, then along the Mississippi river, with a lot of adventures - misadventures is more appropriate; more dangerous than fun - and revelations.

Through James we were reminded of the extend of cruelty in slavery. Not only physical - the punishment, the lynching - but also the belittling of innocent human being. This novel is daubed as "both harrowing and ferociously funny". I personally think it's more thought provoking, though there are sprinkles of hilarity here and there, and of course, it's packed with the youthful adventures we are familiar with from Huckleberry Finn.

Needless to say, I am so impressed by this book, something I didn't expect. It deserves one day to be a classic of its own, which I believe Mark Twain would have approve had he read it himself. It's harrowing, but also hopeful.

A masterful retelling of the classic American tale that was due a little historical revision. As in his Booker-winning The Trees, Everett's voice is as powerful as it is unique. Definitely recommended.

This is a scary read, but Percival Everett is a master, and always in control.

I think Everett's female characters are a weak spot for him, especially here, and that's one bum note in an otherwise fantastic read: it's clever and funny and tender and furious and cold. The writing is great, obviously. The satire is savage. I'm uncomfortable and awe-filled.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the ARC.

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.

Percival Everett’s James is a reimagining of Mark Twain’s American classic, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which I read as a child, oblivious to the fact that Twain meant it as a satire. Everett’s novel turns the narrative around, unfolding the story from the point of view of Jim, the slave Huck grew up with.

Everett’s novel sticks to much of the original plot, narrated by Jim at a page-turning pace, including Twain’s set pieces while adding some of his own. As you would expect, there’s a great deal of satirical humour: Jim’s recruitment by travelling minstrels who insist he black up his light skin, pokes fun at the sheer ludicrousness of white men performing as happy singing slaves. Jim is literate and erudite, visited in dreams by various philosophers eager to explain why they’re against slavery but not abolitionists. The slaves have one style of language for public consumption, dropping it for conversations amongst themselves, puzzling Huck whose eventual understanding that Jim is not unlike him is hastened by a revelation that discombobulates him. The ending is immensely satisfying, and entirely Evertt’s own. A characteristically smart, funny, thought-provoking novel.