James

Retelling Huckleberry Finn from Jim's point of view, James reveals a man who conceals his intelligence and command of language as a survival strategy, performing the dialect white society expects while thinking in a wholly different register. The conceit is bracing and often mordantly funny, but Everett never lets wit soften the horror of the world he depicts.

What emerges is both a thrilling escape narrative and a sharp inquiry into how stories get told and who is allowed to tell them. Everett writes with economy and blade-like irony, trusting readers to feel the gap between what James says aloud and what he privately knows. For anyone who met Twain in school, the novel offers a profound corrective; for newcomers, it stands entirely on its own.