Completely Subversive

James 

by Percival Everett

 “At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.”
― Percival Everett, James

 

 While some people believe Percival Everett's James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a must-read, I found it to be self-serving and subversive. The book examines issues of violence, language, and the risks associated with claiming one's own language, but these topics alone did not convince me to read the book. The book gives Jim a fresh start in the first section, and James is a vividly imagined human being.

In my opinion, the book exploits the moments in Huckleberry Finn when Jim and Huck are apart. Everett's language games can be humorous at times, and there are touching and humorous moments in the book. I thought the book ended in a way that left the reader wondering if James was actually captured.

I feel conflicted about this one. I adore how the author retells the traditional Huckleberry Finn story while reclaiming Jim's story. However, I also thought that the narrative was very forced. Retellings are difficult, and in my opinion, hearing Jim tell his own story differs greatly from Huck's point of view. But I struggled to connect.