John Grisham, as most book-lovers are aware, excels in legal thrillers.’The Street Lawyer’ also falls under this genre.
The hero- this is one novel where the protagonist can be justifiably called that- of the book is Michael Brock, a brilliant antitrust lawyer with Drake & Sweeny, a D.C. law firm, the fifth largest in the US. He is just 3 years away from becoming a partner and except for the crumbling marriage, everything seems to be fine in his life...
...Until one day, when he along with 6 other D&S lawyers are held hostage at gun point by a homeless guy who wants to be called simply as ’Mister’. Mister doesn’t seem to have any demands but asks probing questions about the well to do lawyers’ (who earn millions)indifference towards the poor and the homeless.
This incidence completely changes Michael’s life. He begins to probe Mister’s background and learns that his real name was De Von Hardy and he was one of the 16 people evicted from their cheap dwelling place in which D&S has played a crucial role. He becomes immensely troubled when he finds out that the evicted people were not squatters but infact paying rent to the former pimp Tillman Gantry.His moment of truth comes when he comes face to face with the death of Lontae Burton(who also got evicted) and her four innocent children.He just couldn’t come to terms with the death of the boyOntario who was so lovable and so full of life just the previous day.He realizes that the life he is leading till then is somehow unethical.
The rest of the story describes with admirable authenticity that’s the mark of Grisham, the three way struggle Michael has to go through: his troubled marriage with Claire that is fast tearing apart, his battles with D&S- his former employers by now- over a file related to the eviction mentioned above, which Michael in a moment of stupidity, had to steal, and his struggles on behalf of the street people.
All the characters of this novel are so realistically portrayed. Particularly Mordecai Green, who becomes not only a friend but also a philosopher and guide to Michael, quickly earns a place in the readers’ hearts. Even minor characters like Sofia and Abraham, lawyers working with Mordecai, are fleshed out well. One sad exception is Claire; in the end we have a feeling that we don’t know her as much as even Ruby, a homeless woman helped out of her addiction by Michael with the help of Naomi and Megan, social workers running a rehab center.
We see the image of the common middle class man- concerned about the morals but too afraid to speak up- in Hector Palma, the paralegal in the firm who passes the keys to Braden Chance’s office to Michael, which the later uses to take away the crucial file. Incidentally, it was Braden’s unethical decision to go ahead with the evictions despite knowing the truth that was responsible for the death of Lontae’s family.
Going by the scales of suspense and action alone, this may not be on par with the author’s other works, like ’The Firm’, his best till date. But it makes a compulsive reading all the same. The novel’s strength lies in it’s touching depiction of street life in urban America. He also doesn’t forget to highlight the silver lining amidst all that squalor, namely the people and organizations involved in reaching out to the homeless and helping them to cope. There are so many shelters, soup-kitchens, clinics, legal clinics, de-toc centers etc., I can’t help comparing the plight of the homeless in India! Perhaps we should build many such shelters for the poor in our country too.
And this is the proof of the novel’s success- it makes you stop and ask : Hey, but what about the poor? Grisham is very poignant when he points out that the city has made almost everything a crime, if you are homeless- you can’t sleep in a park, sit on a side walk, eat somewhere etc, etc. Even the children of homeless people are denied admission in schools.
For all this, Grisham doesn’t romanticise the street life; take, for instance, how our good samaritan street lawyer has to constantly look over his shoulders for the fear of being mugged or even shot by his own potential clients.
Finally, the novel ends with a positive note as Arthur, chief of D&S, has a change of heart and comes forward to help the legal clinic of Michael & Mordecai. And Michael finds romance again and falls in love with Megan.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read, if a bit slow and the end somewhat predictable. The language is simple , direct and appealing. Grisham never believes in writing nonsense or splashing the book with swear words. Also don’t look for ’cool one-liners’ here: you won’t find any! It’s like Grisham telling, ’’Hey, I got a story worth telling (and worth listening to)...i don’t have to resort to such cheap gimmicks!’’.
OK..Now my favourite scene : The one in which a white hobo, allegedly being pursued by the FBI tells his tale to Michael. It’s a nice short story within the novel!
I recommend it whole heartedly as a good story- well told. On the flip side, avid Grisham fans may miss the edge-of-the-seat court room drama of a ’The Rain Maker’or a ’The Runaway Jury’. The negotiations conference is really a damp squib!
As a final word, I have a small doubt: De Von Hardy is said to be a Vietnam vet; then exactly how did he become homeless? Didn’t he receive some kind of pension from the government? Similarly another homeless woman is said to be the widow of another vet- Didn’t she receive any social security at all? This apart I have no cribs with the book.
So go ahead and read the book - and don’t forget to read the ’Author’s Note’ at the end of the book, where he pays tribute to the ’real Mordecai Greens’.