I just read about Percival Everett's latest novel: James. Named B&N Book of the Year, this is a retelling of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Although many of the same events occur, this time the POV is James a.k.a. the slave Jim. I haven't read it yet but it's on my list (that always growing list).
Do I sense a new trend? For a while it was modern updates of classics. I think Pride and Prejudice sets the record for the number of modern twists in books and movies. But now we're plucking out the character that the original author used to move the action along and saying, "Hmmm, I wonder what their story is?"
Speaking of Pride and Prejudice...aren't there several books where the annoying and unattractive Mary is the star? And speaking of streaming...I just watched a movie about the dumped Rosaline. Remember, Romeo and Juliet was originally Romeo and Rosaline.
If I was writing a book about one of those characters on the sidelines I would choose Eli Ramsey from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. He was evacuated from the island as a 7 year old boy during World War II and was gone for years. I can't imagine what he experienced and I'd like to hear all about his misadventures. True, he wasn't a key character in the novel but I feel like he too has a story to tell.
What minor character do you want to be in the spotlight?
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