The Innocent Man

Recently I read 'The Innocent Man', the first nonfiction book by John Grisham. It is a tale set in a small town about a wrongly-accused man.

It is a definite departure from his usual novels. The style of writing is also different from his usual fiction based stories. What did not change was the amount of research done for the book.

I personally did not find it as gripping and as spectacular as his other legal novels. I wouldn’t have put down his other novels. But I found it difficult to finish this book. The writer took a neutral stance and narrated the story as factually as possible. The details were exhaustive to the point of being stretched sometimes.

It is interesting to note that the writer did not directly attack or criticize the establishment/ government for the injustice done. He demonstrates the fallibilities of the capital punishment system. The way the story was narrated leaves an impression in our minds that the establishment did not do its job properly. Though the main characters were exonerated at the end, the book does not make the reader ‘feel-good’.

Since it is non-fiction probably we can pardon the lack of diagnosis or analysis. It kind of reminds me about the news reports on crime, though the book is not as short a narrative.

I can only wish that the next book of Grisham is a fiction novel with his usual creative flair.