The Last Juror : Thoughts on it

I have just finished reading "The Last Juror" by John Grisham, and admittedly it was a fascinating and entertaining read to say the least.

This book was different in a way that it did not offer the run-of-the-mill fast and fury action flick that underlies most of his previous works. In a rather light, almost moderate fashion, John Grisham retreats to a more subtle, meandering approach. He sketches an innocuous story about a young inexperienced greehorn named Willie Traynor and his larger than life experience in a town with a propensity for controversial, to even deadly crimes. Throughout the plot, Grisham was unreservedly candid, mirroring what he deemed as the viccissitudes of life which any average small town citizen would have undergone during the 1970s - racism, religious zealotry, bribery, and even the dichotomy in war sentiments during the Vietnam War Era. I was not least intrigued by his exploration of the rampancy of corruption and bribery as well as even the far reaching, gripping effects of racism - something that was manifested in every nooks and crannies of society; from the schools children attend to even the public water fountain (which a black wouldnt dream about drinking from it). Despite departing from his usual fast paced, shock-and-awe style of narration, this insipidity does impart so invaluable knowledge on the state of affairs of the American judicial system, partly that of a small town, and how the interplay of various factors could influence and even undermine the process itself. Which is both distasteful yet insightful, and to do so in such a nuanced manner markedly displays his flair of writing - especially so when this work is actually a experimential branch-out into newer areas of narrative writing. And in a inexplicable way, this ingenuous piece of story motivates me in a very real way. There are insidious evil social forces at work, but at least there are those that would fight these tides of darkness, who are fiercely preservative of the integrity of society, and who simply, are genuine epitomies of tolerance, graciousness and civility as demonstrated by the affable, endearing and erudite Ms Miss Callie Ruffin.