laurenabeth's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I have to hope the errors I’m about to mention were caught before the book went to print as I read an ARC, but there were such egregious errors that I had trouble overlooking them. Namely, using “flaunt” instead of “flout,” “mike” instead of “mic” and a reference to a dead character “never seeing another day of freedom” as though he was imprisoned… and not dead! There were consecutive paragraphs that began with similar sentences or phrasing that I found to be redundant and overwritten. Like I said, I hope these mistakes were fixed before publishing, but it left a really sour taste in my mouth.
The pacing is slow and the book takes about 100 pages to get into (keep in mind it’s over 400 pages long). The story takes place over generations, and years sometimes pass between paragraphs. I found that a bit jarring and disruptive. I kept feeling like I was missing information.
I also found the prose of this off putting. The entire thing reads like a long winded summation of a riveting story, but the bird’s-eye-view narration left me begging for more details, more dialogue, more action. Thrilling storylines are wrapped up in mere sentences and half explanations; I was left wanting. I don’t think I’ve read any Grisham before, so I can’t compare it to his classics, but I was underwhelmed by this one.
While the climax is in fact, climactic, the aftermath drags in a way that tempers some of the action. The characters are interesting, specifically the villains, but because there’s no mystery, it really is just a procedural with a rather abrupt end.
The best scene was the last scene, and my wish is that the rest of the book had been written with the same elegance and urgency as that last exchange. I could write entire think-pieces on the final pages alone!
It also felt like botched commentary on some controversial topics: with Egan (women in politics/court), nepotism (Jesse and Keith), the death penalty (the little speech at the end about killing being wrong), the futility of prisons (the escape attempts and murder of prisoners), vice (the Strip), the legacy of slavery in the South (the Black prisoners at Parchman)… I could go on, but the point is that I didn’t feel anything was actually SAID about these issues, rather just presented. What stance is the author taking? None, I believe. In which case, I finished the book asking myself “What is the point?” instead of “What are the nuances and complexities of these issues?”
I imagine this would make a great weekend movie, but I don’t think I’d recommend this one. Maybe someone can recommend me a better Grisham? I won’t give up on him, but I wasn’t gripped by this one, and it took me a month or more to finish… In fact, I started writing this review before I finished the book (which I’m not sure I’ve ever done) so I wouldn’t forget all the things about it that bothered me. I’d argue that I finished the book just to post the review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Drug use
More...