I had heard all the praise for James, but it took me a while to sink into it. Just a few pages in you learn that Jim and all the other slaves speak refined English when amongst themselves, but to stay out of trouble they affect “slave talk” when white folks are around. I get it, but it felt like an overwrought conceit, and it rubbed me the wrong way.

But the story was a page turner, so I moved through the book quickly. The conceit stopped bothering me, even as the story swerved a little awkwardly into some scenes that felt more allegorical than plot-driven. I stayed with it, though, and the righteous anger behind it all got hold of me. The message drives the narrative toward, and the way it comes together in the end feels organic and powerful, and I closed the book feeling the weight of its import.