HOT TAKE

 Hot Take: John Grisham

John Grisham is a good writer, but not GREAT:

To many, John Grisham is a household name, and I include myself in that many. I grew up with parents who loved to read John Grisham novels and loved the movies just as much. So due to conditioning, John Grisham is one of my favorite authors and honestly the one I’ve read the most of. After reading almost every book that he has published I’ve concluded that Grisham is not as great as people think. I’m not taking anything away from him, but he has proven that he is just a good writer.

Here’s why:

              As we have seen, John Grisham is very creative for about the first quarter of a book…and that’s about it. After that he falls into a repetitive routine of building evidence throughout a case, then how the court proceedings go after that. I will give credit where credit is due and say that there are a few select novels where Grisham has a few different narratives that are more engaging, but overall the books seem to dry out after a few chapters once the litigation begins. His writing style, while realistic, is very bland and lacks a certain level of thrill that really keeps the reader engaged. Another thing that loses readers is his simple vocabulary that doesn’t seem to expand. While fancy lawyer terms are constantly used and vulgarity is limited (which is very much appreciated), Grisham doesn’t seem to throw words in that would make you think he is capable of writing something extraordinary.

Grisham does do some good however, and here’s what he does right:

              Grisham does an excellent job at remaining neutral when it comes to real world conflicts. While racism is present in his novels, it is an old school form of racism, mostly located in South appropriate to the time period. And while is writing is simple, that does make for an easy read, which is nice when you are reading to wind down from the day. The plot line and writing style are progressive and very easy to keep up with, which again, if you’re looking for something to read while not being 100% focused on what you’re reading, this is perfect.

Overall, I would say John Grisham as an author is very good, but I would not consider him great. I do still read all of his books as I do enjoy seeing litigation carried out in a semi-dramatic fashion. I think that he is a great author to read when you are bridging between the last read novel and the next great on that you’re planning on reading.