It comes as no wonder that John Grisham’s new book has quickly gone on to the top of the charts. Grisham has been the master of the Legal genre for so many years now, and he’s inspired a whole new generation of writers in his chosen genre.
But then it must be tough with those astronomical expectations! You can only come up trumps with a certain plot so many times. And Grisham has done it a dozen times already — the plot of the underdog lawyer (usually a rookie with no trial experience) taking on a giant corporation with millions in legal fees, and coming up on top, has been badgered to death. We all love the underdog. Stories with underdogs coming up on top have been on bestseller lists for centuries now, and the trend will be around for the rest of time.
Grisham has a similar story here yet again, and as is his trademark, does justice to it. But a certain storyline can only be beaten to death so many times! In spite of a different ‘treatment’ the plot is so transparent that you know exactly what happens at the end of the book.
In the plot, there’s David Zinc (yes, strange name!) who’s completed 5 years pushing paper at a multi billion dollar law firm, and cracks one day with the pressure. After some very unique happenings, he stumbles on into the firm of Figg and Finley, who must be the two most incompetent lawyers in the greater Chicago area. The rest is history — Zinc stumbles into court, leads his firm into some money, and the book ends with him setting up on his own and becoming a champion for the under-privileged.
But then, all is not lost. Grisham is back to writing legal thrillers after a while now — he’s written two Youth Fiction books in between (The Theodore Boone series), and one legal book which followed a real story (The Innocent Man). So it is nice to see the master back in his flow. There is nothing wrong with the book — it is a great read. The problem probably is with me — i’ve read too many novelists in this genre — Michael Connelly, Steve Martini, and many more. So I’ve become a cynic now!
Another good thing about the novel is the way Grisham takes us through the motions. It is good to see the champion of the legal genre back in the driver’s seat once again, and if you’re new to reading Grisham, you’ll love this book — much like aficionados will remember staying riveted while reading The Firm, The Rainmaker, and The Client.
Go on, Grisham! Don’t move away from mainstream legal thrillers just yet. Keep dishing them out, and we’ll keep lapping them up :)