James by Percival Everett

2024, Doubleday, Winner of Pullitzer Prize 2025

Spoiler alert: details about the ending of the book are included towards the end of the post.

You may have read Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the adventures of the boy Huck and a slave Jim, both runaways traveling together.

A reimagining of the character Jim, Everett's James shares his thoughts and insights with us while we're reading the story. Although his situation is similar to that of Twain's Jim, James is a very different man and makes different choices.

I loved the book. I found it easy to read, humorous, in spite of the serious topic, and I especially enjoyed the use of irony which, ironically, the character James likes to point out to the reader.

I hope you'll read this book. (Maybe you'll be inspired to know that Everett also wrote a book called Erasure which inspired the 2023 film American Fiction.)

I read James for bookclub, and will share our diverse opinions which should inspire you even more to read it and see what you think for yourself.

Bookclubber 1: I didn't really like the book. For one thing, it didn't stick with the story of Huck Finn, there were differences. If he wanted to use Huckleberry Finn as the basis for the book, he should've stuck with the story, or otherwise just written a different novel altogether. Second, I didn't think the dialects were that well done. Also, I thought the revenge fantasy went too far, and don't get me started on the father theme.

Bookclubber 2 (BC2): Although it wasn't my favorite book, I liked reading it. I liked the ending, I just think James' cup was too full.

KB: What do you mean "his cup was too full"?

Spoiler alert (click arrow to read the rest of the conversation)

BC2: I mean he was too full of suffering and loss and pain, so he was powerless to stop the awful things that happened at the end.

KB: You mean it was too much pain which led to the events?

BC2: Yes. I mean it made me understand him wanting revenge.

KB: I thought of it more as freedom, like if you're a prisoner of war and break free. I don't think of it as revenge, I think of it as justice.

If you read the book, let me know your thoughts.

Universal has plans to make James into a film.