John Grisham is one of the leading bestseller fiction writers today. He is well-known for his legal thrillers. Bit of late, Grisham has been writing non-legal fiction and has done it with ease and with mixed success. After a series of successful novels, now Grisham for the first time tries his hand at short stories. Ford County is a short story collection comprising seven short stories all featured in Ford County in Memphis, Grisham’s favourite location for all his books.
Grisham’s stories are usually legal thrillers; Jury trials, courtroom scenes, judges and lawyers are the heart of his stories. But in this short story collection, Grisham sticks to non-legal fiction. So if you are expecting the trademark court drama, you will be disappointed. Grisham’s earlier non-fiction included Skipping Christmas, which put a stamp over his ability to write light, humorous pieces. His other sporty non-legal works like Bleachers and Playing for Pizza didn’t find favour with readers.
The book includes seven short stories and here’s my take on them:
1) Blood Drive : is a humorous short story about three young men who decide to take a ride to Memphis to donate blood to a friend who met with an accident. But they encounter unexpected obstacles in their journey, finally ending up at a strip club. This story is narrated in Grisham’s trademark humorous vein and is really enjoyable. The garish strip-club scenes have an overdose of sex, which could have been toned down. But overall, a good story to start the book and thoroughly enjoyable. My rating for this story 8/10
2) Fetching Raymond : is a very dark story of a dysfunctional family on their way to jail, where one of their family members is about to be executed. The story has lots of elements from Grisham’s classic work The Chamber. For those who have read The Chamber, the story seems a bit dull. The character of the death-row convict is well sketched. But the story is too dark. My rating 6/10
3) Fish Files : sees Grisham back in familiar territory. Mack Stafford is a loser and this lawyer gets the settlement of his lifetime and he now has to ensure that he pulls it off and pockets a handsome fee. Here again, a feeling of deja-vu - lots of stuff from his previous books. My rating 5/10
4) Casino : tells the story of a gambler who exploits his blood-ties with Red Indians and builds a huge casino and in the process steals the wife of our hero. The rest of the story is all about how our mild-mannered hero takes his revenge. The plot is novel and interesting and overall a very good read. My rating 8.5/10
5) Michael’s room : is the story of a lawyer who is kidnapped and made to realise his follies. This is also a dark tale and will leave you feeling sad. Most readers if given a gun in their hand would want to start killing lawyers after reading this one. Well-written piece, my rating 7.5/10
6) Quiet Haven : features a conman who takes up a job in an home for the elderly and pulls off some fast stuff there. A sleazy story, with lots of unpalatable elements. I didn’t like it one bit, it is the worst of the lot. My rating 4.5/10
7) Funny boy : is the story of a boy who is dying of AIDS and comes back home to spend his last days. The story exposes the prejudices of society and is a telling commentary on the way AIDS patients are treated. Grisham tries to be a little too politically correct, which is the only negative in this story. But a very well-written story which has won kudos for Grisham. My rating 8/10
Grisham does a decent job in his first attempt to write short stories. I would rate the entire collection at 7/10. Hardcore Grisham fans will be greatly disappointed with this. But if haven’t read Grisham before or like short stories, then you may like this.
My overall opinion - a mixed fare with some brilliant stuff combined with some very ordinary ones. Good for a one-time read, but I don’t think this collection will be one of Grisham’s successes.