Growing up in Canada, American literature was not a focal point of my studies and so there are some major works that I haven’t read, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. So when James, the novel by Percival Everett about one of the key characters in Twain’s novel, was published and started appearing on all sorts of award and “best of” lists a couple years ago, I was interested but not compelled to read it. But I did find a copy of the UK edition at Huxley and Hiro, and the cover grabbed me, so I got it and read it. I’m sure a lot of the context was lost on me, but regardless, James’ story was gripping and well told with humor despite the brutalities James and other enslaved people experience.

Now having read the book, I actually prefer the original US hardcover artwork (which I happened to find a used copy of). It reminds me of the art work for James Joyce’s Ulysses, and I wonder if that was intentionally done by the artist.