John Grisham in fine form in first collection of novellas
John Grisham’s novels “The Firm,” “The Client” and “The Pelican Brief” have all been made into blockbuster movies, catapulting him to super-stardom. Now, the author is releasing his first collection of novellas, “Sparring Partners.”
The first story, “Homecoming,” is set in a familiar place – Clanton, Miss. – the site for “A Time to Kill,” which introduced lawyer Jake Brigance (portrayed by Matthew McConaughey in the 1996 movie). Brigance is back In “Homecoming” and receives a letter from Mack Stafford, another Clanton lawyer, who fled to Costa Rica in the middle of the night. There is a problem though: When Mack ran from his bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion charges, he left his sick exwife and two daughters alone to fend for themselves.
Stafford’s missive to Brigance sets off a series of events only Grisham can conjure up, beginning with Brigance and his wife traveling to Costa Rica to meet Mack, Mack flying back to the U.S. and Mack holding secret meetings with his oldest daughter, Margot. It does not help Mack’s case when the FBI gets involved and his in-laws file a lawsuit against him. Grisham does an excellent job of creating a most dishonorable character in Mack Stafford and bringing Brigance back for another starring role.
Grisham transports the reader to death row in the second story, “Strawberry Moon.” Cody Wallace, 29, has only three hours to live for his participation in a murderrobbery. Wallace, who was raised in foster homes, never had a chance: “I was fifteen years old, in that courtroom, with a terrible lawyer. The jury hated me and hated him.”
When he arrived in prison, he counted on books sent to him by “a sweet little lady in North Platte, Nebraska” for mental escape. She sent a lot of them over the years – nearly 2,000. Grisham masterfully takes the reader through final appeals, Cody’s meeting with a priest and his last meal of frozen peperoni pizza and a strawberry milkshake.
But Cody’s request — seeing the moon “just one more time” — really helps readers understand what it is like being on death row for so many years.
There are a lot of moving parts in “Sparring Partners,” the final story of the triptych, and those parts move fast because of the egos inside the Malloy & Malloy law firm in St. Louis. The firm’s patriarch, Bolton Malloy, will do anything to make a buck. His sons Kirk and Rusty are always at odds with each other. Diantha Bradshaw is the firm’s savior and the unofficial third partner.
The story opens with old man Malloy in prison for committing an evil act, but he possesses a secret that his sons want in on because the firm is broke. Grisham brings readers into a courtroom where Rusty is trying a wrongful death case against GateLane Hospital. Their client, Trey Brewster, who trusted the doctors there to conduct a routine appendectomy, is in bad shape: “His eyes were always closed, his mouth perpetually opened. … One tube with oxygen ran to his nose.”
The firm sure could use the money, but Rusty is on a losing streak. Things get more complicated when the FBI finds out that the governor is selling pardons, and the Malloys might be involved. Here is where the reader discovers if the brothers turn on each other, and if Diantha remains the firm’s savior.
Grisham’s novellas are just as powerful as his longer works. In these creations, he is still able to create likable and unlikable characters who create tension throughout each tale, enticing the reader to turn the page. His deep knowledge of the law is showcased throughout the collection, providing believable courtroom scenes and realistic client-lawyer meetings. Perhaps he has found a new form, and his readers will be grateful for that.