In an unusual but not unprecedented move, the prize board chose a fourth option after it couldn’t agree on the three less-heralded finalists.

Everett’s novel was honored at the 2025 awards, along with other books in the categories of fiction, general nonfiction, memoir, poetry, history and biography.

James” is a retelling of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” told from the perspective of Jim, an enslaved man determined to reunite with his family.