Sycamore Row
by John Grisham (2014 fiction)

This is not only an enjoyable read, told at a rocketing zigzag pace, but also a haunting, harrowing family saga. The legal framework is that of a holographic will, the simplest and most powerful testamentary device. Seth Hubbard writes his will, hangs himself, and leaves it to attorney Jake Brigance to see that his wishes are carried out and justice done. Seth’s family, needy and avaricious, is introduced to us by way of his testamentary wish – may they perish in pain, like me. Jake’s team is assembled for the struggle to show Seth’s competence. A magnificent set of Shakespearean characters, Southern lawyers, black and white, is brought to life in Judge Reuben Atlee’s courtroom, representing Seth’s Dickensian relatives. Grisham, an attorney, lampoons his legal brothers but respects the bedrock principles of equity and fairness. Atlee steers the case steadily, right down to the wire. All hinges on a Hubbard relative, lost for decades, entitled to a small fraction of Seth’s bequest and located either too late or in the nick of time. Grisham brings his rollercoaster ride to a shocking, surprising, but ultimately satisfactory conclusion.

Reviewed by Martin Waldron