Without giving too much away, it’s the story of a man (a family really) whose lives get turned upside down when their 14 year-old son is accused of murder.
From the get-go, something about the book bothered me. It was not that the book was not well written (hmm… double negative), it is. Or that the characters weren’t developed, they are. It was something else. And I’m not sure if it was because I hate when bad things happen to characters I like or that for some reason, the story felt achingly similar to Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent at least at the start.
**** Spoiler Alert *** (Oh and definitely don’t read the short Thinks in the sidebar between my nephew and me)
Both authors were prosecuting attorneys as are there protagonists. Both start off investigating a horrible crime, in which later they are implicated (in different manners). And both stories have weaselly assistant district attorneys trying to “take down” the “heroes” (really, William Landay could have just plucked the character of Tommy Molto right in for Neal Logiudice. As a matter of fact, though I read Presumed Innocent 25 years ago (geez), Defending Jacob felt so similar at the start, that I’m now recalling intricate details of the former as if I read it last year. Makes me wonder if Landay also read Presumed Innocent and unconsciously channeled some of it or if DAs are so similar in personality.
But once they diverge (in Presumed Innocent the protagonist is accused, in Defending Jacob, it’s the son), they diverge. The latter leads you into the web of nature versus nurture which ends in a “shocker.” Yet, the more I think of the shocking ending, and know it makes sense, it occurs to me that the only reason it makes sense is because of the penultimate chapter. Without that one chapter, in a book of 40 chapters (really without the last three words of that penultimate chapter), the shocking ending is implausible and dare I say, a bit cheesy, done for the sake of shock and shock alone.
Furthermore, the author provides no closure, so if that’s what you seek, you ain’t getting it hear.
All that said though, I will tell you it made for some good book club discussion. On my scale of reviews,
* hated it or couldn’t even finish it
** Didn’t like it, don’t bother
*** Liked it
**** Really liked it
***** Loved it – must read
I’d probably give it between 2 and 3 stars.