James by Percival Everett

 

It’s been a long time since I read Huckleberry Finn but I picked up this retelling of the classic because Percival Everett is one of my favorite authors and this one is from the runaway slave, Jim’s, point of view. I wish I had reread Huck Finn to place this work in better context but that did not in any way diminish how much I loved this novel. It’s heartbreaking to see James couch his erudition and bend his will to meet the demands of the whites around him. His evolution over the narrative is a joy to watch unfold. 

The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa

 

The cherry blossoms might be blooming right outside his window but the Professor in this delightful novel wants none of it. Ever since a car crash took away most of his memory, he’s most secure in his single shed-like home and doesn’t want to venture out into the world. But the titular housekeeper draws him out and makes space for him in the universe. From him she learns the meditative beauty of math and works around his handicap of being able to have a memory span that lasts only 80 minutes. Without a hint of melodrama, this novel is magical.