This newest Grisham novel has a twenty-nine year old female lawyer as the main character unlike Grisham’s male leads in his past novels. Samantha Kofer was a top associate at a large NYC law firm who was downsized when the economy turned in 2008. She reluctantly accepts a non paying internship for a year in a small Appalachian town, The Mountain Legal Aid Clinic in Brady, Virginia. She is one of four female attorneys offering free legal aid to the struggling families in Appalachia.
Divorce, wills, lost jobs, black lung disease, and fighting the Big Coal companies become her passion. Samantha has never litigated in a court room and finds that “good old boy” network in Brady to be particularly frustrating. The story is interlaced with romance, murder, and compassion for these struggling Appalachian families. Does she choose to go back to the luxuries of NYC or will she settle for the rewards reaped from working in Brady, Virgina?
Grisham never fails to educate his readers about his underlying theme of his books. In Gray Mountain, he unveils the evils of the coal mining industry. Strip mining, pollution, chemicals, and the effects to the people who make their home in this area.
We’ve all heard about strip mining but Grisham helps us understand it. It wasn’t my favorite Grisham book but I liked it. He is moving away from his comfort zone but still gives us that glimpse of the inner workings of the legal system.
Peppermint Patty
4 out of 5
