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James  By  cover art

James

By: Percival Everett
Narrated by: Dominic Hoffman
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Publisher's summary

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

'This is the work of an American master at the peak of his powers' — Financial 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.

'James has the potential to become a classic . . . thrilling, bold and profound' — The Sunday Times

'Gripping, painful, funny, horrifying . . . a consummate performance to the last' — The Observer

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

*James was an instant Sunday Times bestseller w/c 07/04/2024

©2024 Percival Everett (P)2024 Penguin Random House LLC

Critic reviews

Pure brilliance. Funny, wise, gracious; this may be Everett's best book yet (Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry)
A scorchingly funny, action-packed reworking of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Sunday Times, 'The 40 best books of 2024')
[A] rambunctious, perspective-altering book, keeping the adventurous spirit of [The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn] but full of contemporary resonances (Guardian 'Fiction to look out for in 2024')
An audacious re-writing . . . delivers a story bristling with atmosphere, sadness and sly wit (Financial Times 'What to read in 2024')
[Percival Everett] has quietly been producing excellent novels for four decades, with 2021's The Trees shortlisted for the Booker Prize, but [JAMES] might be his most anticipated yet (BBC Culture, '45 of 2024's most anticipated books')
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