The Chamber (novel)
| The Chamber | |
|---|---|
 The Chamber by John Grisham |
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| Author(s) | John Grisham |
| Original title | The Chamber |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Legal thriller novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Publication date | 1994 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 496 |
| ISBN | 0-385-42472-8 |
| OCLC Number | 30075172 |
| Dewey Decimal | 813/.54 20 |
| LC Classification | PS3557.R5355 C47 1994 |
The Chamber (1994) is a legal thriller written by American author John Grisham.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The Chamber, set largely in and around the Mississippi State Penitentiary, is the story of Sam Cayhall, a former Klansman who has been convicted of murder and sentenced to death by gas chamber 20 years after his bombing of a Jewish lawyer's office.
Cayhall's sentence has so far been held up by legal maneuvering, but with all his appeals exhausted, he has weeks to live.
His grandson Adam Hall, a lawyer (whose father Eddie changed his family's name because of the disgraceful family history), journeys south from Chicago to represent Sam in the final month before the date of execution.
Adam decided to become a lawyer soon after his father committed suicide on the day that Sam was convicted of murder in Mississippi. Adam is determined to argue a stay for his grandfather, in spite of Sam's violent past, because Sam is one of the few living links to his family's history. Sam and his daughter Lee Cayhall (Adam's aunt) reveal the sad, brutal history of their family.
Initially uncooperative, Sam eventually opens up to Adam, and it transpires that Sam did not in fact commit the actual crime for which he has been found guilty. Nevertheless, he has a long and largely secret history of Klan-related crime and has killed several times. As Adam desperately argues motion after motion, the story moves to its last moments.
The novel combines elements of legal commentary and suspense to fully illustrate the complications surrounding various legal issues, such as the death penalty and racism.
[edit] Lawsuit and dismissal
Lawyer and author Polly Nelson sued Grisham in 1995, alleging The Chamber had striking similarities to Defending the Devil, her nonfiction book about her experiences as lawyer for serial killer Ted Bundy.[1][2] After Grisham prevailed in a lower court ruling in 1996, the case was dismissed on appeal in 1997.[3]
[edit] Film adaptation
In 1996, The Chamber was made into a feature film starring Gene Hackman and Chris O'Donnell.
[edit] References
- ^ Torry, Saundra (June 19, 1995). Fact, Fiction and Fairness: The Copyright Wars Surge. Washington Post
- ^ Owens, John B. (2000). Grisham's Legal Tales: A Moral Compass for the Young Lawyer. 48 UCLA L. Rev. 1431 (2000-2001)
- ^ Kelly, Keith J. (October 10, 1997). Suit Doesn't Fit Grisham. New York Daily News
[edit] External links
- "The Chamber Excerpt." John Grisham Official Website
- "The Chamber." Google Books
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