‘James’ by Percival Everett
“My name is James. I wish I could tell my story with a sense of history as much as industry. I was sold when I was born and then sold again. My mother’s mother was from someplace on the continent of Africa, I have been told or perhaps simply assumed. I cannot claim to any knowledge of that world or those people, whether my people were kings or beggars…I can tell you that I am a man who is cognisant 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.”
As booksellers, the requirement to come up with an annual “best of” list each summer sits quietly in the back of our minds all year long. As of the start of April, I had zero works of fiction on my shortlist, then along came James, by Percival Everett. A book I’m certain will make my Top 10 for 2024!
James is a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this time told from the perspective of Jim, Huck’s formerly enslaved friend who is now on the run.
Like Barbara Kingolver’s Demon Copperhead in 2022 (which was a modernised retelling of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield) you may benefit from a different depth of understanding if you’re read the original, but those who haven’t will not be prevented from enjoying this great new story.
It’s an exciting and suspenseful adventure tale, while also being a thought-provoking revision of history. Its fast pace and engrossing storyline is sure to appeal to a wide range of readers, but I’m particularly excited to have a work of literary fiction on hand that will be a good fit for many male readers at our store.
And a special note for my book loving pencil friends: a graphite pencil plays both comic and tragic roles in advancing this story. To say any more would be a spoiler!
Available in store and online.
Book Review: James, by Percival Everett ISBN 9781035031245
