John Grisham was once a lawyer, so that explains his deep understanding of law and stuff. But what makes his novels work is the adept and proficient understanding of humans and their relationships.
Someone once said, all humans are animals except for the relationships they happen to manufacture. So true. But its easier said than done, and thats where this man scores, time after time.
This is a story about a lawyer Adam Hill and his racist grandfather Sam Cayhall who is in prison and about to be gassed for the bombing transpired and executed amidst moments of barbarism and bountiful irrationale. The bombing killed a man and his 2 sons and left the country raging for blood.
And as often is the case, every crises produces a hero who manages to take control of the situation and work everything to his favour, here we have the District Atorney who had big dreams thus rises just in time to make them true. And so Sam Cayhall is tried and acquitted, twice till the time the lawyers make the judges realise what everyone else understands, nevermind the law, and manages to get a decision.
Here enters the young lawyer Adam who has his first murder case and that too of his grandfather who his dad was more than relieved to forget. As the story unravells we get to see how circumstances make or break a person and a family and a nation.
And what shook me the most was that amidst so much hope and optimism a man is killed, gassed, butchered for a crime he was made to commit, his dysfunctional perceptions notwithstanding. A must read for it explains so much about our being humans or the lack of it.
I think one line from the novel says it all When Adam finally goes to Sam to break the news that they have lost and that he will be killed in a couple days time Sam is very calm and listens to everything and just replies ’’ Don’t you cry grandson, you appealed to every judge and jackass, you did everything you could, but this is 1990’s and we don’t make humans anymore.’’