John
Grisham’s 1999 novel “The Testament” starts off with a bang. An old
billionaire, Troy Phelan is talking about his final day. The first chapter is
narrated by Troy, in the first person right before he jumps out of a window. He
complains about his spoiled kids, and many ex-wives who all want a part of his
estate. Jumping out the window is a final vengeful strike to them. However, he
has one other trick up his sleeve, as when his will is read, he leaves all his
money to an illegitimate child his ex-wives, children and lawyers never even
heard of. She is named Rachel Lane and is a missionary in Brazil.
Curiously,
only the first chapter is in the first person. The rest of the novel is told in
the third person. The narration of Troy Phelan dies with him. I was a bit
surprised by this, as I expected through the first chapter, maybe Troy would
narrate the whole book. However, I guess, that wouldn’t make a ton of sense
because Troy isn’t the most likable character. It might have been too much for
Grisham to ask the reader to stay with such an unlikable character for the
entire book.
Enter Nate
O’ Reilly, a hard drinking lawyer that has been in and out of rehab more than
once. He is at the end of his rope but is still part of the law firm that
represents the interests of the late Troy Phelan. So, needing something to do,
he is contacted by the late Troy’s lawyer, Josh Stafford, to go to Brazil to
find Rachel Lane.
There’s a
bit of a religious undertone to the book. It didn’t really bother me. I think
it makes sense for the story, because it benefits Nate who needs some help
throughout the story. When he goes to Brazil, he is tempted by alcohol.
However, his views on his temptations change when he meets Rachel Lane. He is
shocked when Rachel’s reaction to the billion dollars offer. She just wants to
help the poor tribe she is living with in the jungles of Brazil. I don’t know
much about missionaries, but it doesn’t surprise a missionary would want a
simpler life, even if it means missing out on a ton of money.
This book
is a bit all over the place, but it mostly worked for me. I liked the mix of a
legal thriller, adventure story through Brazil and the personal story of Nate
trying to overcome his demons. The book also spends a bit of time with Nate, as
he tries to put his life back together.
This adds
to the book feeling a bit all over the place, but once again, I didn’t mind it.
It added to the bigger message that I felt a bit faith based, but also, I felt
was something Nate probably needed to straighten out his messy life.
There’s
also the usual stuff in the novel, about a trail over Troy’s estate. The family
he left behind are not surprisingly fighting over the estate. I guess if you
where left a billion dollars, you would fight with others over it as well.
Besides an illegitimate daughter Troy hardly knew, and the rest of his family
didn’t know existed, the rest of the family aren’t exactly a charming group.
Grisham, as
usual, writes well. His writing isn’t hard to read, at times, he summarizes a
little too much. However, Grisham is writing page turners, and he knows it.
It’s a solid Grisham page turner, and one that makes you think about life a
bit.
