THE BOOKLIFE PRIZE

Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 8.25 out of 10

Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Huckleberry Jim follows Axel Emerson and Moses Morton as they tour 1991 America in a theatrical rendition of Huckleberry Finn. Running from the law, Axel eagerly takes on the role of Huck Finn and stars across Moses's Jim, in a two man play that exposes racial divides and oppression still widely relevant to today's audiences. The pair's banter during their tour is witty and biting, and the story is emotional, funny, and compelling.
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Prose: It's not an easy feat to write a contemporary adaptation of a classic piece of literature, but Nelson has the chops to do it. He captures Axel and Moses' voices in a way that feels authentic and realistic, and the writing does the story's concept justice.

Originality: Though Huckleberry Jim carries shadows of previous works, it possesses many qualities that set it apart. Its two perspectives are powerfully wrought, offering a historical view of the novel's issues in both the '90s and at the time the original Huckleberry Finn was composed. Readers will quickly grasp that not much has changed through the years,  with injustice, stereotypes, and racial inequities still running rampant in the United States.
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Character/Execution: From the classic structure of a play within a play, readers get to know both characters through their actions and performances on and off the stage. Moses's inner rage at the treatment he receives often boils over onto Axel, leaving the alliance between the two uneasy at best, but both characters are easy to empathize with: flawed, human, and seeking ways to expose the divides of a country that calls itself free.