A review by stephe
James by Percival Everett

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

 “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.” 
 
James is truly phenomenal. A retelling that on its own rivals, even surpasses, the original, all the while in deep conversation with it—at times complementing, at times challenging—to create a stunning work of American fiction. A testament to the power and import of words—written, spoken, hidden, revealed—and to the deep interiority from which they spring and to which they tend. 
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