Book Review: The Appeal

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I decided to review John Grisham’s The Appeal last week, but I’m so glad I did because yesterday, this book just got a whole lot more timely.

 

WIthout giving too much away, The Appeal deals with the question of whether at some point (or perhaps even now), special interest groups will be able to buy positions on the state supreme courts and beyond.

I’ll admit that I haven’t read a lot of Grisham before and I realized while reading The Appeal that I’m not a huge fan of his style. But his knowledge of the law and the legal system is clear and that I can appreciate.

However, the most interesting aspect, I think for us, is the candidate that the special interest groups choose to for the a judgeship in the Supreme Court of Mississippi. The candidate is an unknown. A young attorney with little experience. No skeletons in his closet. First marriage. No time on the bench, so no controversial decisions made. A family man.

And, since no one knows the man, when his candidacy is announced at the last minute, the other “party” has no way to respond. Nothing has been prepared. Nothing is known about the man.

Now, when I switched on the TV yesterday and saw Sarah Palin announced as McCain’s running partner, I immediately thought of The Appeal. Good work, Grisham. I think you may be psychic.

On a more writerly note, while the premise was interest and the book was, of course, high concept, the characters fell flat. Instead of real people, they felt like characters. There were good guys, bad guys, and nothing in between.

I tend toward the old adage, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Grisham apparently does not. His villains felt like they were straight out of Scooby Doo, being bad for the sake of being bad.

Also the trigger that set the story in motion was basically the plot of Erin Brockovich. And I’m sure he chose water contamination because it is reprehensible without question and kept with the black-and-white theme he was going for, it left the story feeling less fresh.

Finally, the third person omniscient narrative style distanced me. I’m not sure if all his books use this POV, but it wasn’t my cup of tea.

So, what I’m telling you is this: Read the book for the political theories. Read it to learn about class action suits. Read it to gain insight as to why Palin was chosen as McCain’s running partner. But, don’t read it if you’re look for deep characters or writing that makes your hair stand on end.

Overall though, a worthwhile read.

 

Status: Sent queries today. I have 15 out in the world now with 6 requests. I sent about 7 today. I thought it was time to get it out more. After all there are so many fabulous agents to query! Next week, I think I’ll sent 3 or so more, then pause to wait for answers. As I continue the submission process, prayers and positive thinking are much appreciated!

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Tags: agent search, book review, candidate, Erin Brockovich, John Grisham, John McCain, judiciary, law suit, legal thriller, literary agents, McCain Palin, narrative style, point of view, queries, Sarah Palin, Scooby Doo, special interest groups, submissions, Supreme Court, Supreme Court of Mississippi, The Appeal, third person omniscient, water contamination