What to Read After Percival Everett's 'James'

15 clever reimaginings of beloved classics

Percival Everett's latest novel, James, is a brilliant, action-packed retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain from the point of view of the enslaved Jim. In an interview with NPR, Everett spoke about his book, saying, "My writing James is not in any way an indictment of Twain at all. I'm writing the novel that Twain was not ill equipped, but unequipped to write. That being the story of Jim. So I consider this more as being in discourse with Twain." If you enjoy stories that reimagine, reframe, or pay homage to classic texts, here are fifteen more titles for you.

A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

Reimagining King Lear, this gorgeous Pulitzer Prize winner centers on a wealthy Iowa farmer who decides to divide his farm between his three daughters. When the youngest expresses concern, he impulsively cuts her out of his will, setting off an explosive chain of events bringing dark truths to light.

Longbourn by Jo Baker

This retelling of Pride and Prejudice reflects the perspective of characters who are all but invisible in the original—the servants. Sarah is the orphaned housemaid at Longbourn House tending to the Bennet family. The arrival of a mysterious new footman threatens to upend her carefully choreographed world.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

This mesmerizing novel reveals Jane Eyre's most intriguing character: the madwoman in the attic. Annette Cosway is a sensual and naive young woman. Sold into marriage to the prideful Mr. Rochester, she finds a society so hostile and sexually skewed, it is enough to literally drive a woman out of her mind.

March by Geraldine Brooks

Drawing from the much beloved Little Women, this Pulitzer Prize-winner imagines the journey of the March family's absent patriarch. Leaving his family behind to aid the union cause in the Civil War, March's experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

Born to a teen mom in Appalachia amidst the opioid crisis, Demon has nothing to his name beyond his razor-sharp wit and a fierce talent for survival. Another Pulitzer Prize winner, this brilliant retelling of David Copperfield, speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places.

The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

This is The Iliad as experienced by Briseis, Trojan queen and captive of Achilles. Given only a few words in Homer's epic, she is a pivotal figure in the Trojan War. Her story pulls back the veil on the thousands of women behind the scenes of the Greek army camp as the legendary war hurtles toward its inevitable conclusion.

Mary Reilly by Valerie Martin

Drawing from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this is the story of Dr. Jekyll's dutiful and intelligent housemaid. Mary is a survivor, scarred, but still strong. As a bond grows between Mary and her tortured employer, she is sent on errands to unsavory districts of London and entrusted with secrets she would rather not know.

On Beauty by Zadie Smith

Like its inspiration, Howard's End, this novel centers on two different families. Howard is an English professor living in a Boston suburb with his African-American wife, Kiki, and their children. When his professional nemesis, Monty, begins working at Howard's university, the lives of their families become intertwined.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

Based on Antigone, the ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles, this searing novel asks: What sacrifices will we make in the name of love? Like Antigone, Isma is a young woman who has spent her life in service to family. When she finally sets out in pursuit of her own dreams, troubles with her siblings draw her back home. 

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor

On a sultry August day in 1922, Jay Gatsby is shot dead in his West Egg swimming pool. The body of local mechanic George Wilson is found nearby. When a diamond hairpin is discovered at the scene, three women fall under suspicion. This atmospheric novel places the women of The Great Gatsby center stage.

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

This Pulitzer Prize-winning book takes a meta approach to a retelling with a set of interwoven tales recalling both the classic novel Mrs. Dalloway and the life of its author Virginia Woolf. The Oscar-winning 2002 adaptation stars Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

This riveting read isn't a retelling so much as a story imagining the creation of a masterpiece. A penniless young Latin tutor—bullied by a violent father—marries Agnes, an extraordinary, eccentric woman. When they lose a child to the plague, it plants a seed for his most celebrated tragedy.   

Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson

From Mary Shelley's groundbreaking novel about a scientist who creates a new lifeform to a Phoenix cryogenics facility housing dozens of bodies waiting to be reanimated, this audacious love story weaves together disparate stories into an exploration of transhumanism, artificial intelligence, and queer love. 

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Rebecca is transported to 19th-century Mexico in this haunting gothic thriller. After her father is executed and her home destroyed, Beatriz accepts a marriage proposal from the widowed Don Rodolfo Solórzano and retreats to his countryside estate. But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

Jack Maggs by Peter Carey

From a Booker Prize-winning author comes this reframing of Great Expectations from the point of view of Pip's father, a hardened criminal who's returned from Australia seeking vengeance. As various schemes converge, Maggs rises to the center, a dark looming figure, at once frightening, mysterious, and compelling.

Something old becomes new with these fresh takes on classic literature. You could read the original text before jumping into the updated version, but never fear, it's not required. These entertaining retellings can all stand on their own.

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Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon