James

This widely praised retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story by Percival Everett has won both the Pulitzer for fiction (2025) and the National Book Award for fiction (2024) and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. We are reading this for our book group in October; I have been wanting to read it for several months and feel richly rewarded for doing so. The basic premise is to retell Twain's novel from the perspective of Jim the slave, or as Everett put it, it's a conversation with Twain about a book he could not have written at the time.

Several of the "set pieces" from Huckleberry Finn are maintained while others are added to help create the character of James, a secret reader and philosopher. Library Journal succinctly notes that "The rules of engagement for Black people encountering white people are brutally clear in 1830s Missouri, a state with enslavement. Don't ever make a white person think you know something he doesn't, or you'll pay. " James teaches the local children how to code-switch --using slave speak--within hearing range of whites even though his vocabulary and grammar are far superior to those of his enslavers. They go on in their review, praising the "fast and furious" action, the attention grabbing characters, and an unexpected reveal that "changes the nature of Huck and Jim's relationship dramatically." They conclude by saying that "Everett ...has written an even richer and penetrating Adventures than Twain's already rich masterpiece."

James decides to run when he learns that he is to be sold down river and separated from his family. Huck decides to fake his death to avoid the severe beatings of his father and stumbles into Jim on a small island in the Mississippi River. Booklist summarizes the story's trajectory: "When he is accused of robbery and murder, James flees with an initially gleeful Huck, who only gradually understands the terrifying reality of being a Black man with a price on his head. As Huck comes to acknowledge the depth of his relationship with James, and the "slave's" profound gifts, the boy is forced to recognize the illogic of white supremacy and privilege. Meanwhile James, determined to return and rescue his wife and daughter, takes the story in a completely different direction than the original, exemplifying the relentless courage and moral clarity of an honorable man with nothing to lose."  

Publishers Weekly calls this an "ingenuous retelling" of the classic tale noting that "Everett also pares down the prose and adds humor in place of sentimentality. " They conclude that "Everett has outdone himself." Kirkus praises "One of the noblest characters in American literature gets a novel worthy of him." The New York Times calls this "...Everett’s most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful."

The Doorman

This book by Chris Pavone (author of Two Nights in Lisbon) came so highly recommended that I forced myself to finish after many times wanting to give up. It is such a slow burn to reach the dramatic highpoint--essentially over ¾ of the book--that to me it just wasn't worth it. Others disagreed, however.

Publishers Weekly refers to the book as an "adrenaline-pumping thriller" that "delivers a lacerating, Tom Wolfe–worthy dissection of Manhattan society in the post-Covid era." They go on to summarize the plot: "The primary setting is the Bohemia, a storied Central Park West co-op where protagonist Chicky Diaz stands watch. A streetwise former Marine who moonlights as a security guard to pay off his late wife’s crushing medical debt, Chicky has seen and done a lot—but nothing approaching the perfect storm of catastrophes that converge during the fraught hours over which the narrative unfolds..." and they conclude with: "Page-turning from the opening paragraph to its killer finale, the narrative combines noirish atmosphere with a sharp attunement to the particular depravities of ultrawealthy urbanites. Pavone’s provocative look at the city that never sleeps will keep readers up well into the wee hours." I, on the other hand had to push myself to finish the book, but you can see why I was sucked in by the review.

The New York Times offers a more detailed account of the story line and effuses: "With its laser-sharp satire, its delicious set pieces in both rich and poor neighborhoods — a co-op board meeting, a Harlem food pantry and more — and its portrait of a restive city torn apart by inequality, resentment and excess, “The Doorman” naturally invites comparison to “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” Tom Wolfe’s lacerating dissection of New York in the 1980s." And they go on to offer a minor qualification to their praise but end up recommending the book with this: "If 'The Doorman' suffers from anything, it’s a surfeit of riches — details and digressions that can lead you away from the central story. But all of it accelerates into a tour de force ending (this is where it becomes a thriller) that rewards close attention." 

Kirkus closes their short review with this: "Social, racial, and political commentary add color to the profanity-peppered pages.Readers will root for the doorman in this enjoyable yarn." I did root for Chicky (the doorman) but can't say I found the book at all enjoyable except for the very end when some deserving person gets their comeuppance.