James: A Novel

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars | 31,572 ratings

Price: 14.99

Last update: 12-22-2024


About this item

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE • KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER • A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view


In development as a feature film to be produced by Steven Spielberg •  A Best Book of the Year: The New York Times Book Review, LA Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Economist, TIME, and more.


"Genius"—The Atlantic • "A masterpiece that will help redefine one of the classics of American literature, while also being a major achievement on its own."—Chicago Tribune • "A provocative, enlightening literary work of art."—The Boston Globe • "Everett’s most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful."—The New York Times

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 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.

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a “literary icon” (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

From the Publisher

this retelling might be a masterpiece writes the New York Times
Genius says The Atlantic
will help redefine one of the classics of American literature says the Chicago Tribune
enlightening work of literary art says the Boston Globe
Book title and author

Top reviews from the United States

AccidentalDiva
5.0 out of 5 stars History Reimagined: The Story We Never Heard from Jim
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2024
I promised myself I wouldn’t dive into any more space horror stories, but “Julia,” Sandra Newman’s retelling of Orwell’s 1984 from Julia’s point of view, completely swept me up. Naturally, when I saw James hit the shelves—a reimagining of Huck Finn through Jim’s eyes—I couldn’t resist. I was curious, but also wary, because I knew this story would be as psychologically traumatic as I feared. And I wasn’t wrong.

Reading James is a deeply personal experience, especially as a Black woman, knowing that the only thing separating me from that nightmare of slavery is the year I was born. The narrative forced me to confront the reality that my great-grandparents and countless others who share my skin color endured this hellscape. It's more than just history—it's a stark reminder that they were treated as "it," less than animals, mere property. This is the kind of story that takes a physical toll on me every time I bear witness to it, but at the same time, it's necessary.

One of the things I found most powerful was how James fills in the emotional and psychological blanks left by Huckleberry Finn. In Everett’s hands, Jim is more than just a loyal protector or a man enslaved. The inner thoughts and eventual confession he shares go beyond the brutality of slavery, offering an explanation for why he’s so devoted to Huck. This complexity and depth made the retelling masterful—it's still settling with me, but I can already say it was absolutely worth the read.

Another aspect that haunted me was the subtle but consistent pattern Everett weaved through the story—everyone who helped Jim, except Huck, met a tragic end. It’s hard to tell if it was a coincidence or a chilling reflection of how dangerous it was to aid a Black person back then, but either way, it made clear just how easily Black lives were discarded. That’s a stark, painful truth to digest.

Percival Everett’s writing is as sharp and introspective as ever, breathing new life into a character who has long been a symbol but rarely fully understood. His retelling connects a lot of plot points and unspoken questions from Huckleberry Finn in ways that are satisfying, thought-provoking, and deeply unsettling. It's one of those stories that will stay with you long after you've closed the book.
Brea Bennett
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2024
This book deserved all the accolades & "hype" around it. Its excellent. The writing is superb & the content is even better. As a Huckleberry Finn & Mark Twain fan, this checked all the boxes. While the content was hard to read...often times hard to rectify that our society is not that far removed from this reality...it is written with respect, honesty, & truth of the time.
Phyllis Bearden
4.0 out of 5 stars seen from the slave’s view
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2024
Even if you’ve never read Huckleberry Finn, this book grips you with great story filled with adventure and raw emotion. This story sounds very different from Jim’s perspective
Gary Mattingly
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, with sad and hopeful
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2024
I thought this book was both interesting and enjoyable. The descriptions, characters, and language made for excellent reading for me. I do wonder about the dual modes of speaking. I have read little non-fiction of those times. It certainly felt important in the story. It was hard to put down, once started.
lane highbarger
5.0 out of 5 stars wow.
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2024
This book is so engrossing and so readable - it pulls you along like the Mississippi. An insightful and clever author. Highly recommended.
Sally Bee
5.0 out of 5 stars 100 stars!
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2024
If you’ve read any of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry books, you’ll love this re-telling of his adventures by his enslaved friend and co-hort, Jim. Smart, insightful, and at times, funny, this book is a treasure. This book makes you think.
Elisabeth Price
5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Pastiche
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2024
I don't usually like it when other authors take over the subject matter and characters from a work by one of the undeniably "great authors." I was unable to finish reading P D James' riff on "Pride and Prejudice." But "James" is different. Less elaborate and far more explicitly violent than "Huckleberry Finn", its original, it still has some subtleties that bring Mark Twain's humour to mind, starting with the title. James is Jim, is a slave, is a very shrewd observer of life as well as a victim, is the author himself, discussing the effect the status of slave or white person might have on the speaker and the listeners and how switches between dialect and standard language or even between certain registers of English and other refinements can be used to deceive, unmask, even to defraud or survive the racial and other status tensions between the characters. Jim is both an English professor and a slave, and there is no explanation forthcoming as to how he achieves this. This is one place where the author rips through the veil of suspension of disbelief that most fiction depends on. And it tickled my fancy - I thought it marvellous and carried on reading without losing faith in the story. This, of course, is also a feature of Mark Twain's tallest tales. And James's tale does become a bit fantastic now and then - by the end of the book, if not before, you realize that he should have perished from the story's events at least a dozen times. Some of the feats he accomplishes have a superman quality about them, such as building a raft after he starts to escape on it, remaining unscathed from the paddlewheel of a Mississippi steamer, etc. ad infinitum. The book drives on at a cracking pace so the reader doesn't want to make time for doubting thoughts, being swept away by the swirling waters of the river or by the churning emotions of James and the fellow protagonists he picks up along the way. It is a passionate polemic against slavery and racism, one that's truly timely as we see just how endemic human prejudice is to this very day and on and on into the future that must not be. The ironic touch of humour prevents one from putting down the book just to cry and cry. It is a very clever technical achievement, one which I would not have believed possible until I read "James" by James.

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