James by Percival Everett Format: Paperback
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James is one of those books that I can absolutely appreciate, even if it wasn’t an instant favorite for me. I can clearly see why so many readers love it and why it’s received so much praise. It’s a good book—it just wasn’t the right book for me.
I’ll admit that it took me a little while to settle into Percival Everett’s writing style. Once I found my rhythm with it, I enjoyed the story much more, but it wasn’t a book that immediately pulled me in.
It’s also been a very long time since I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, so I found myself trying to remember Jim’s original role and compare the two stories more than I expected. Even without that fresh perspective, I really appreciated seeing this familiar journey through Jim’s eyes. Giving him his own voice, intelligence, humor, and agency made for a compelling reimagining.
One of the highlights for me was Everett’s prose. There were so many thought-provoking lines and memorable quotes that made me pause and reflect. His writing is sharp, insightful, and often packs a punch in just a few words.
There was one reveal involving Huck that genuinely surprised me and ended up being one of my favorite moments in the novel. At the same time, I did feel the book could have been a bit shorter, as there were sections where the pacing slowed for me.
Overall, I enjoyed James and can understand why it’s considered such an important novel. While it wasn’t a perfect fit for my personal reading tastes, it’s a smart, thought-provoking reimagining that offers a powerful new perspective on a literary classic. For me, this was a 3.5-star read, rounded up to 4 stars.