2004 Year in Review

The Last Juror

John Grisham’s newest book is a delightful read because of its narrator, Willie Traynor, and its setting, Clanton, Mississippi.

Grisham returns to Clanton, which was the setting of his first book, Time to Kill. This book, to me, is a mixture of Time to Kill and Harper Lee’s renowned book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Set against the sleepy town and its ‘characters’, is a mystery, a murder trial, segregation and retribution. However, this book is the not the usual fare; there is warmth and humor because of “the last juror”, Ms. Callie Ruffin.

Played out over a time period of nine years, the book begins in 1970 when a very young twenty three year old, college drop-out northener, Willie Traynor appears in Clanton and assumes the ownership of the local paper. During this time period, a young mother is brutally murdered by a member of the notorious Pladgitt family, a group who lives secluded on an island and who are a law unto themselves. The last juror member chosen is a black woman, Callie Ruffin, mother of eight. Callie is not the typical African American of this time period. She is educated and she and her husband have raised eight children, seven of whom have their doctorates. Not only does Willie Traynor cover the trial and all its gruesome details, but he also writes a column on Callie. This begins a Thursday ritual of lunch on Miss Callie’s porch where he is not only fed but also grows to maturity.

Danny Pladgitt is found guilty and is sentenced to life because the jury cannot unanimously agree on the death penalty. (“Life” is a maximum of ten years in jail because of a faulty Mississippi law.) However, Danny promises revenge on the jury members, and this promise comes to fruition, but in most unexpected ways.

The plot is an old one, but the characters are delicious. Ms. Callie, Baggy Snuggs, a hard drinking reporter who “knows all”; Wiley Meek, the paper’s photographer; Davey Bigmouth Bass, the sports’ reporter are such an interesting array of people. Each of the towns folk are also given life so that the reader not only enjoys the action and mystery, but also the ‘folks’ who populate Clanton, Mississippi. Grisham also includes the segregation of Clanton and the integration that must happen. Most importantly, we see the growth and changes not only in Willie Traynor, the narrator, but also in the entire town of Clanton, Mississippi. A delightful read!!

by Anne Frame, Guest Columnist
April 12, 2004