Review Garrett Manthei

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Reviews | Send mail to The Voice 'The Broker' Does Not Come Back Empty-Handed John Grisham is a prolific and successful author who has written 18 books over the past 17 years, all of which have become bestsellers. Grisham, 50, has homes in both Mississippi and Virginia. He lives with his wife and two kids. --Book Cover Joel Backman was the most powerful lobbyist in Washington, D.C. Anyone with the money and the stomach to pay Backman's outrageous fees could have the ear of every politician on Capital Hill. Backman lived the good life of wealth and fame. That is, until he was thrown into solitary confinement for 20 years without parole. John Grisham's newest book, "The Broker," takes the reader on a journey following this fascinating tale of Joel Backman. Just six years into Backman's sentence, he was mysteriously pardoned by a defeated U.S. president who was about to leave office. The FBI, immediately following Backman's pardon, gave him an alias and flew him across the Atlantic to the town of Bologna, Italy. Backman was, at first, too excited to question such complete good fortune. However, as events come together, he realizes more and more that his life is in danger. Straying from his typical legal themes, Mr. Grisham crafts a compelling story. But "The Broker" is not without its problems. The dialogue in Mr. Grisham's previous novels has always been a treat. But in "The Broker," especially early on, the dialogue feels dry and nearly lifeless. Getting a good handle on the characters' personae proved difficult at times because of some awkward moments in the dialogue. Another problem with "The Broker" is the book's pacing. The first and last 50 pages are action-packed and captivating, but the middle section seems to drag with nothing happening. Mr. Grisham spends too much time enjoying the scenery (beautiful as it may be) and not enough time moving the story forward. Thankfully, the good things about "The Broker" outweigh the bad. Mr. Grisham has a flare for making you feel as though you're actually living in the world he creates with the words on the page. The acclaimed author allows the reader to gorge on the succulent foods that he meticulously describes or smell the thick aromas of lavish feasts that fill the air in between the letters on the page. Mr. Grisham's imagery in "The Broker" is a delectable dessert for the reader's mind. Throughout "The Broker," the reader is taken along on a sightseeing tour, which is done to great effect (though admittedly this is accomplished at the cost of pacing). Mr. Grisham makes readers feel as though they actually know the city he describes in northern Italy. He manages to give everything a feeling of reality and persistence. "The Broker" is an astonishingly clean book. Mr. Grisham throws in a rare minor swear word and includes no sex whatsoever. "The Broker" is by no means a "Christian book," but nothing in it mocks or opposes God. Mr. Grisham leaves out any political or spiritual agenda, keeping the book as general as possible. "The Broker" does a lot of things right and succeeds on many levels. Even through some minor missteps in dialogue and pacing, "The Broker" triumphs in being a thoroughly clean and enjoyable read. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Reviews | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2005 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.