James

Selected as one of the top 12 reads of 2024 by The Times and Sunday Times, "James" is described as a canon-shatteringly great book by Hernan Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Trust." Ann Patchett, bestselling author of "Tom Lake," states, "Who should read this book? Every single person in the country."

This enthralling and ferociously funny reimagining of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is 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-nominated film "American Fiction," and "James" is set to be the literary event of 2024.

Set on the Mississippi River in 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 rumors 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. 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.