Book – ‘James’

Author: Percival EverettPublisher: Mantle, an imprint of Pan MacmillanReviewer: Stephen Keim

The concept upon which James is based is simple. James is a reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn[1] (“Huckleberry Finn”) such that the action is narrated by and from the point of view of the slave, Jim, who, as a runaway, shared Huck’s adventures in floating a raft downriver in Twain’s classic novel.

It is one thing to come up with an idea by which to re-imagine one of the most highly regarded novels in the canon. It is different and much more difficult to implement such an idea.

Percival Everett,[2] an accomplished and distinguished writer who, since 1986 has published over 20 novels, along with non-fiction works and poetry collections, is well-equipped for such a task. His grandmother had been a slave which also adds to his appropriateness for the task.[3]

James, in narrating the adventures, tells the reader many things that she may not have dreamed of, either reading Huckleberry Finn or otherwise. James is self-taught but very learned and, on odd occasion, he sneaks into Judge Thatcher’s library to read a little history or philosophy. Indeed, most Afro-American slaves speak English, very well, but knowing that, if they ever allowed white people to found this out, they would be punished or even killed, they only speak so when no white person can possibly hear them. In the presence of white people, they speak the dumb dialect expected of slaves.

Slaves conduct secret schools for their children who receive this learning but are also warned of the deadly dangers of ever revealing such knowledge.

The background facts reflect the circumstances in Huckleberry Finn. James and his wife and child are owned by Ms Watson. Judge Thatcher helps Ms Watson run her property including the slaves. This included ordering James to be whipped in the past. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn make James the butt of their numerous practical jokes which James sees through but goes along with. James takes a protective interest in Huck whose town drunkard father, when he is around, belts Huck, unmercifully.

James conveys to the reader the severe prohibition on any Afro American looking at white people and, especially, the dangers of any Afro American male getting caught looking at a white woman, for even a moment.

The threat of violence that hangs over every slave’s life is not presented as a matter of generality. James and his friends discuss the news of lynchings happening in towns located just a few miles up or down river. And the reader gets to witness a particularly harrowing example of white on black violence.

James hears that Ms Watson proposes to sell James’ wife and child which would result in the family being forever separated. It is this threat that causes James to risk his life by running away in the hope that he can find freedom and make enough money to buy the freedom of his family.

And, so, Huck and James, coincidentally, flee at the same time; meet up by chance; and go on their river raft journey, together. The narrative is filled with many of the same shonky characters and knife edge events as were seen in Huckleberry Finn but each event, through the perspective of a highly educated and very articulate and clever Afro American, takes on a different perspective and a whole new meaning. Everett is adept at filling out James’ character through a narrative voice that makes use of an internal dialogue and philosophical ruminations that are indicative of his heightened intelligence. Everett, by giving James this agency, has effectively reclaimed James from the more caricatured “Jim” of Huckleberry Finn.

The relationship between Huck and James, through the eye of the older man, is told with great empathy and understanding.

As each set of dangers emerges and then subsides, only to give way to greater dangers, the reader is kept on the edge of her seat. Even an ability to remember how things all turned out well in Twain’s template is of little comfort on this reading journey because, seen through different eyes, events may take a different course.

Everett has set himself a difficult task. One misstep and James could have become preachy or trite and/or mere try hard.

I began my reading of James with a degree of scepticism that Everett or, indeed, anyone could carry off such a task.

As the novel proceeded, my doubts dissolved and my admiration increased. I think Everett has succeeded with flair.

James has won the 2024 Kirkus Prize; the National Book Award for Fiction and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.[4]    

[1] See https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/24/100-best-novels-huckleberry-finn-twain.

[2] See https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/31723.Percival_Everett.

[3] See https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-68762352.

[4] See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_(novel).