Ashwini, my friend of school days had the remarkable talent of making stories at the go. He would read out a perfect essay in the class out of a blank notebook. I wish he hadn’t taken up medicine and rather become a writer.
He could have done a better job of The Testament/. I admit I haven’t read much of Grisham earlier, infact this was just my second Grisham (the first being the Firm/), and he has failed to make an impression.
The Testament has a promising start- creates enough drama by the sheer brilliance of Troy Phelan, the billionaire who leaves everything to his illegitimate daughter before jumping off 14th floor. The trouble is this daughter (Rachel) is a missionary in some inaccessible corner of Brazil. Here enters Nate, a lawyer who is pulled out of a rehab centre and sent off to look for her.
The novel at this point rather becomes something between a travelogue and a religious sermon on belief and the power of God, . I read through the rest of the book expecting a thrilling twist somewhere, but apart from one and a half page during a courtroom scene, the never ventured close to one. It appears as if Grisham had thought a great start before writing the book, but could not match it up with an equally good finish, something that had also occurred to me while reading the Firm.
The previous reviews say that this novel is a one off case and not like a usual John Grisham thriller. Hope that is true. Else I will have to insist on Ashwini.