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Revisiting John Grisham: A Critical Companion

Mary Beth Pringle
Greenwood Press (2007)
ISBN 9780313323355
Reviewed by Narayan Radhakrishnan for RebeccasReads (3/08)

John Grisham-- the name spells magic-- and no one can deny the fact that it was Grisham who took the law outside the courtroom in his novel, and gave the legal thriller genre a place, a niche, of it own, in the mystery genre map.

Unlike many who fell to the charm of Grisham after reading “The Firm,” I fell for the magic only after reading “A Time to Kill” about a Black-American on trial, before an all-white jury, for the murder of two white kids who had raped his 12-year-old daughter. Never since “To Kill a Mockingbird” had I read such a haunting and bleak portrayal of the law and justice in a novel. I was hooked and from there on each February I religiously bought and read each and every legal thriller- right up to “The Appeal.” Today I am the proud owner of all Grisham works including sixteen legal thrillers, one non-fiction legal thriller, “The Innocent Man,” four non-legal novels and copies of the manuscript of two Grisham original screenplays--“Mickey” and “The Gingerbread Man.”

Though Grisham, the author, has become a household name--(I am reminded of an episode from the TV serial “3rd Rock from the Sun” where aliens John Lithgow and Company are trying hard to adjust to the American culture. They read in a newspaper that an average American reads John Grisham, eats pizza, etc., and the particular episode ends with Lithgow and Company all reading a Grisham bestseller and eating pizza)-- the man, Grisham still remains an enigma. It is difficult to get an insight into the man who keeps to himself, away from the glare of publicity as much as he can. It is here that “Revisiting John Grisham: A Critical Companion” comes to the rescue. Nope, it is not a biography, but a hard, critical look at all the fiction works written by Grisham and a follow-up to the author’s earlier work “John Grisham: A Critical Companion” (1997). The author has really studied the man Grisham before embarking upon this project and the same is reflected in the book.  The painstaking job the author has done in editing, researching and collecting material is to be appreciated and this book is a must resource guide to the fans of John Grisham. This is both a critical companion and a biography (in a limited sense)

Mary Beth Pringle has done a grand job; and my only peeve is that the author doesn’t delve on the original screenplays written by Grisham. But again that is understandable, for the same are not available as books. However, the story of Grisham as an original screenplay writer in Hollywood is interesting, which I believe would have amused the Grisham fan; hence the ‘peeve.’

“Revisiting John Grisham: A Critical Companion” has inspired me to do a bit of revisiting myself and I plan to reread my favorite Grisham works.

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