From the Booker-prize shortlisted author of Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction
'This is the work of an American master at the peak of his powers' - Financial Times
Enthralling and ferociously funny, James by Percival Everett is a profound meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love. It is also a bold reimagining of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as the enslaved Jim emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins.
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 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 embark on the most dangerous, and life-changing, odyssey of them all . . .
'James has the potential to become a classic . . . thrilling, bold and profound' — The Sunday Times
'Who should read this book? Every single person in the country' - Ann Patchett, bestselling author of Tom Lake
'Percival Everett is a giant of American letters, and James is a canon-shatteringly great book' - Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Trust
*James was an instant Sunday Times bestseller w/c 07/04/2024
