Dec 20, 2010 05:29 PM
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John Grisham, the master of legal fiction is back in action. But this story doesn’t have much of the courtroom drama his books are known for. The Confession is a painful journey, which exposes the loopholes of the American judicial system and deals with one of Grisham’s pet subjects – the death penalty.
Most legal experts, from the time of Hammurabi have prescribed ‘an eye for an eye’, i.e : if if someone does a murder, the penalty is death. But is the death penalty right? Can the state, whose job is to safeguard life, take a human life? Should the death penalty be abolished? These are questions that would have arisen in the minds of most people, at some time or the other.
In today’s world of Kasab and Afzal Guru, most of us would feel that the death penalty is a must for all criminals? But, what if the person sentenced to death is innocent? What will happen if such a man faces a sentence of death? That is the theme of this novel.
This novel continues from the theme of two of Grisham’s previous works. In ‘The Chamber’, Grisham exposed the horror of the death chamber and how it affects relationships between all persons concerned. ‘The Innocent Man’ was a non-fiction work by Grisham, which explored the fallacies of the supposedly fair American legal system. This novel uses both these themes.
What if the legal system sends an innocent man to the gallows? How can such a person be saved? That’s what Grisham sets out to explore in this novel.
The Reverend Keith Schroeder is the hero or principal character of this novel. One fine day, Travis Boyette walks into the Reverend’s church and confesses to a crime – the rape and killing of a college cheerleader. What makes things nerve-wracking is that someone else is charged with this crime and has been convicted. Donte Drumm has been given the death sentence and is just four days away from being executed by the state of Texas.
Rev. Schroder is torn between his duty to his parishioners and his natural desire to see justice done. The rest of the novel is wrought with tension, as Grisham lays bare the case of Donte Drumm. Even the most passionate supporter of the death penalty would be jolted after reading this novel.
With just four days left, Rev. Schroder wants to take Travis to Texas and save Donte from the death penalty. But what our hero doesn’t know is how cruel the system is and how the legal system – the police and the judges do their best to prevent justice from being delivered.
As you turn each page of this book, your blood begins to boil reading of the injustice of the system, which sends an innocent man to the chambers. What if this happens in India? Maybe it has already happened? How many innocent men have probably been executed? We don’t know and just thinking of it, as you read this book, sends a chill down your spine.
I will not reveal what happens. But you are glued on to every page, as you eagerly wait for the suspense to be revealed and want to know whether justice is delivered.
This book is not just a work of fiction, it is a reflection on the criminal and legal system in our society. Grisham also brings the racist angle into the picture. Grisham has done an excellent job by raising some very important questions.
Even those who strongly believe that the death penalty is necessary, will be shaken up when you realize how the lives of people are affected.
Some of the most interesting aspects of this novel:
a) Grisham’s typical style, which makes you want to read this novel at one go
b) The characterizations in the novel are brilliant and you start feeling for the characters
c) The plot and the pace of the story is really good and there is nothing boring here
d) The social issues raised are thought-provoking
Overall, this is an excellent book, not meant for just Grisham fans, but for anyone who is interested in fiction, crime and social issues.
I strongly recommend this book to everyone who loves books.
