James - Percival Everett

 

A couple people I know had read and recommended this one, so I checked it out from the library and gave it a go.

This is the story of the slave, Jim, from Huckleberry Finn, but told from Jim's point of view. Obviously, this is a bit of a different tale than the original, starting with Jim running off because his owner wanted to sell him and split up his family (apparently, he didn't have family in the original - not true, they just aren't mentioned until mid-book or so). Also, Jim is quite intelligent and can read'n'write and is highly philosophical. He and Finn stumble upon each other and Jim takes Huck under his wing and they go through numerous adventures and travels before they get word that Jim's wife and child were sold and so they go after them. Plenty of trials'n'tribulations occur and there's plenty of twists'n'turns and lots of variations from the original - some of which can be explained because it is Jim's viewpoint and some are just extra exploits.

At the end, the family if reunited and there is a bit of a surprise reveal and while there's a few loose ends that aren't spelt out, that's the way life is sometimes.

Everett is an excellent writer - one of the better storytellers I have come across in recent times, which makes me want to search out more of his works. Highly recommended.