James

Percival Everett

£20.00

In stock

From the Booker-shortlisted author of The Trees comes a heartbreaking and powerful retelling of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Huck’s friend, the enslaved Jim.

ISBN: 9781035031238 Category:

Description

Selected as one of the top 12 reads of 2024 by The Times and Sunday Times

‘James has the potential to become a classic . . . thrilling, bold and profound’ – The Sunday Times

An enthralling and ferociously funny reimagining of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. Written by Booker Prize-shortlisted Percival Everett, his novel Erasure is now released as the critically acclaimed and Oscar-winning film American Fiction, and James is set to be the literary event of 2024.

The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new owner in New Orleans and separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson’s Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father who recently returned to town. Thus begins a dangerous and transcendent journey by raft along the Mississippi River, towards the elusive promise of the free states and beyond. As James and Huck begin to navigate the treacherous waters, each bend in the river holds the promise of both salvation and demise.

With rumours of a brewing war, James must face the burden he carries: the family he is desperate to protect and the constant lie he must live. And together, the unlikely pair must face the most dangerous odyssey of them all . . .

From the shadows of Huck Finn’s mischievous spirit, Jim emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins.

‘Gripping, painful, funny, horrifying . . . a consummate performance to the last’ – The Observer

‘This is the work of an American master at the peak of his powers’ – Financial Times

‘Both a page-turner and a profound meditation on the ramifications of slavery and self-hood . . . Luminous’ – TLS

Additional information

Weight 0.518 kg
Dimensions 24.4 × 16.2 × 3 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Hardback

Pages

302

Language

English

Edition

Hardback original

Dewey

813.6 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

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