Grisham's first novel centers around a white lawyer fresh out of law school and struggling to pay the bills comes to be council for Carl Lee, the father of a young girl, Tonya, who was sexually assaulted, raped, beaten, and left for dead by two backwoods hicks. Carl Lee decides to take the "law into his own hands" and eradicate the two criminals who are white and will most likely be let out with a small tap on the wrist. Throughout the novel, Jake and Carl Lee must overcome the stigmas of the times centering around race, fight attacks from the KKK, and other such personal attacks. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) Time/era of story: Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Legal Thriller Yes Legal Plotlets descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 10 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 30 % Crime Thriller Yes Crime plotlets: General Crime (including known murderer) Yes Who's the criminal enemy here? - hunted by BAD vigilante getting revenge Main Character Gender - Male Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - natural phenomena The antagonists are: - racists/KKK Setting United States Yes The US: - California Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death Explicit sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - rape (yeech!) Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |