2024 Booker longlist: James by Percival Everett

Next up for our panel is James by Percival Everett. Everett is no stranger to book awards, having won over 15 and been listed for many others including a Booker shortlist nomination for his novel The Trees.

Cover blurb: When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.

While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.

Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a “literary icon” (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.

You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Keep reading to find out how our panellists rated this book.

Nicole’s Thoughts: I didn’t enjoy Tom Sawyer, I didn’t want to read Huck Finn and Mark Twain doesn’t do it for me, and I’ve tried. I wasn’t looking forward to James, but I know it’s up for all the prizes, so I thought I should suck it up. I’m glad I did.

This is an EXCELLENT book. So smart, so well done. I listened to the audio and I think it really enhanced it because such a huge part of the book was language and diction focused and the narrator was perfect.

Huck and James were well-developed characters, and it turns out I actually knew quite a bit of the story of Huck Finn, though I’m not 100% why, probably a Disney movie from the 70’s. I cannot imagine anybody disliking this novel – it’s near perfect.

I gave it a 4/5 on originality because it was a retelling, but you could argue that the retelling was so original it deserved the full 5-stars. What kept it from being perfect for me was a tiny plot point at the end I didn’t think was entirely necessary and felt too convenient. Otherwise this book is deserving of all the accolades.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 4/4
Plot development: 4/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? Absolutely!
Total: 19/20

Jen’s Thoughts: I loved this book. You can read my full review here. Everett is truly a master in many ways and I have marveled at pretty much all of his books. I hated The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn when I read it as mandated reading in school. I re-read it prior to reading James and no longer hated it. You don’t need to Mark Twain’s book before reading James, but it certainly helps to fully appreciate the genius of Everett. Everett has a knack for turning things on their head through humor and satire and this book is no exception. What he does in this book, giving “Jim” a voice and positioning him center stage. Jim becomes James while rewriting a classic, proving once again that Everett is a literary master.

Yes, its a retelling/reworking but it’s also thoroughly original. Character and plot development are excellent. Everett develops the characters who were under-developed in the original telling of the story. It’s funny and yet tackles a serious topic, in a masterful way. Overall a brilliant book.

James is a VERY American book and I think it will likely win the Pulitzer. I’m doubtful it will make it onto the shortlist although I won’t be sad if it does. That, said I’ve read half the list and this is far and away the best among those I’ve read so far. An excellent book that will likely be appreciated more by American readers who have also read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 4/5
Character development: 4/4
Plot development: 4/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? Yes
Total: 19/20

Tracy’s Thoughts: Percival Everett says this is an answer to Huck Finn. I’d like to think that Mark Twain is pumping his fist in the afterlife, loving the book as much as it deserves.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Character development: 4/4
Plot development: 4/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? Absolutely. I don’t think it will win, or even make the shortlist. But it is a masterpiece.
Total: 20/20

Lisa’s Thoughts: Percival Everett is such an amazing writer. I loved this retelling of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of the enslaved man, James. I love that James renamed himself (from Jim). The writing is strong and clear. There are a few surprises in the plot which I appreciated, at least one of which echoes themes from other novels by Percival Everett. And one of those surprises just made me laugh out loud, it was so perfect.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Character development: 4/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? yes!
Total: 19 /20

Anita’s Thoughts: To be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of Everett’s The Trees last go around, so my expectations for James weren’t very high despite the fact people were raving everywhere. Much to my own surprise, I found this book to be amazing. I think I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn at some point in my life, but I don’t recall it at all, and I didn’t bother reading it as a refresher (though I am listening to it now). James is written in three parts, and the first part really evoked The Road (Cormac McCarthy) for me – it’s just that same kind of perfect pitch and emotionally moving work that I love. There are some surprises in the latter half, and one plot point seemed a bit questionable/not believable to me, but this book has everything I want in storytelling: emotional intelligence, wit, propulsive plotting, great characters, the whole nine yards.

Writing quality: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Character development: 4/4
Plot development: 3/4
Overall enjoyment: 2/2
Did it deserve a spot on the longlist? I think it deserves to win (she says having not read any other of the books yet!)
Total: 19/20

We want to hear from you. Have you read this one? Let us know what you thought.

Our panel’s final rankings

1. James: 19.2
2. Headshot: 12.1