James

James, longlisted for the Booker Prize 2024, is a transformative and captivating novel penned by the celebrated author Percival Everett, known for his Booker Prize-shortlisted work, The Trees.

Set against the backdrop of the Mississippi River in 1861, James masterfully reimagines Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through a lens that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The story begins when Jim, an enslaved man, learns that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans—a fate that would tear him away from his beloved wife and daughter forever. In a desperate bid for freedom, Jim hides on Jackson's Island, where he encounters Huck Finn, a boy who has faked his own death to escape his abusive father.

Together, James and Huck embark on a perilous journey by raft along the Mississippi River, navigating a landscape fraught with danger and uncertainty. Their odyssey is not just a quest for freedom, but a profound exploration of friendship, identity, and courage. As they move closer to the promise of free states, each bend in the river brings them face-to-face with both salvation and peril.

Against the backdrop of a nation on the brink of Civil War, James grapples with the immense burden of his mission: the agonising choice between securing his own freedom and the need to protect his family. The duo's journey is a powerful saga of endurance, as they confront the harsh realities of their world and the ever-present spectre of capture.

With incisive wit and deeply moving prose, Everett reclaims Jim's story, imbuing it with a rich voice that defies the constraints of Twain's original narrative. Jim steps out of the shadows of Huck Finn's mischievous escapades to take centre stage, challenging the historical narrative that has long confined him to the margins.

Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust, aptly describes the novel: "Percival Everett is a giant of American letters, and James is a canon-shatteringly great book." Through this enthralling and ferociously funny narrative, Everett leaves an indelible mark, forcing readers to see Twain's classic in a wholly new and transformative light.

James offers a gripping and thought-provoking reading experience, compelling us to reconsider the complexities of freedom, humanity, and the enduring impact of the stories we tell.