Sarah and I often read a book together before bedtime. We take turns choosing. This was my pick.
I love reading John Grisham, but I usually try to stay away from him when I'm not on vacation. I have a bad habit of staying up late into the night to finish one of his suspenseful books.
This book is a different format, though. Instead of his standard novel, this is a collection of short stories. Also, none of them are terribly suspenseful, so that made it a nice fit for reading before bed. We could stop whenever we wanted.
The stories all have a loose connection with law: death row inmates, wills, bankruptcy, lawsuits, divorce, etc. However, law and lawyers play a much smaller role in most of the stories. In fact, only 3 of the 7 have a lawyer as a main character.
This was a good read, but not one of my favorite Grisham books. It reminded me a lot of Ernest Hemmingway's short stories. There is this deep sense of disappointment with life - especially in small town Mississippi. (All of the stories are placed in Grisham's home area: Ford County, Mississippi). Every story has a deep note of sadness and even despair. Yet, even so, reading them is enjoyable - in a cathartic, companion for misery, kind of way.
I would recommend this book for someone who is just looking for some casual reading or for someone who wants a look (albeit a bit depressing) into small town American life. The Josh rating: JJJ.
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