Wednesday, November 3, 2010
THE CONFESSION, a Review
You count the days, and then there are none left. You ask yourself on your last morning if you are really ready. You search for courage, but the bravery is fading.
When it's over, no one really wants to die.On a quiet November morning in Topeka, Kansas, Travis Boyette enters a Lutheran church and asks to meet with Reverend Keith Schroeder. During their interview Travis confesses to a shocking crime for which a young man in Texas is about to be executed. His confession leads to a race in Keith's old Subaru, bound for Texas, determined to stop the execution of an innocent man.
--John Grisham, THE CONFESSION
I'm just going to say it. This is the best John Grisham novel in YEARS.
Gripping. Compelling. I could not put it down.
There is so much tension in the story, I almost couldn't sleep at night when I finally forced myself to close the book. It's not enough to worry about whether Keith and Travis will make it to the small town of Slone, Texas in time. Once they get there, will they convince anyone that Travis, a parolee with a long and violent criminal record, is telling the truth? Add to the mix a Governor determined to see Texas Justice, an Appellate Court with important things like tennis lessons to attend to, and racial tension between the black residents who demand freedom for Donté Drumm and the whites who crave justice for the victime, Nicole Yarber.
Grisham's tight story-telling keeps the plot moving along at a perfect pace, never dwelling too long on any scene or situation. Every chapter is constructed in such a way that you just can't stop. You HAVE to know what's going to happen next. "Page-turner" is such a cliché, but it really fits.
The setting is vivid and beautifully painted. The characters are rich and alive. It feels like these are real people that the author spent time with, lived with, learned every last detail about. It was almost as if I know some of them myself. And he certainly has a handle on the way the media operates, which is also central to the story.
If I have two words of criticism for this book, they are "preachy" and "villainous."
It's a death penalty story. Or, rather, THE CONFESSION is the tale of terrible injustice. That is sufficient to the story. Instead of leaving it at that and letting the reader decide how they feel about the whole issue, Grisham constantly beats the message into the mind of his readers that "The death penalty is altogether evil!" The message is unnecessary and it does detract from the story, if only somewhat. He makes his point clearly with the plot. Everything else feels a bit like overkill.
The other tiny, tiny problem I have with this and with some (possibly...all?) earlier Grisham novels is his habit of vilifying anyone and everyone who is not on the side of the main character. It feels like each supporting character falls into the "with us or against us" category and in life, as in many good novels, not everyone has to be an ally or an enemy. Sometimes it's okay for a character to simply disagree.
But, seriously, folks. This book is GOOD. And the movie (when it comes, which you know it will) is going to be awesome. I've already started mentally casting parts.
So go get your copy of THE CONFESSION. Buy the hardcover, listen to the audiobook, download it to your favorite e-reader, put your name on the long waiting list at the library. Whatever. Just get it. Read it. Love it.
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ReplyDeleteI am still waiting for my PRIZE copy in the mail!!
Did you see I featured you/The Innocence Project today? ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree on your view about sometimes people can just agree to disagree without being a villain... So as I read it, I'll probably have some of those same feelings pop up.
I personally believe in capital punishment for violent psychopaths... and I do believe that capital punishment should only be for those with solid convictions, not based on a lot of circumstantial evidence. :\
Sounds like a good one. I'll be sure to read it.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to get mine so I can dive right in!
ReplyDeleteI have to say, you've got me very interested! You already know that I haven't read any Grisham books, but you've made me want to start!
ReplyDeleteWow. I stopped reading Grisham after the first three or four books because the whole formula was boring me, but that's some pretty powerful writing! I may have to check it out.
ReplyDeleteYou make me want to read it, but only after I re-read Harry Potter 7 (the movie comes out in 2 weeks! gasp!). And after The Help, which I promised my mom I would read so she could talk to me about it.
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