DR.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW

UNIVERSITY,LUCKNOW

FINAL DRAFT
ENGLISH
BOOK REVIEW : THE SUMMONS
BY : JOHN GRISHAM

Submitted To: Submitted by:

Dr. (Mrs.) Alka Singh Komal
Assistant Professor, English Section- A
. Enrolment No- 210101074
 ACKNOWLEGDGEMENT

I express my special thanks of gratitude to my esteemed lecturer, Dr. (Mrs.) Alka Singh who
gave me the golden opportunity to do this book review on the book, on THE SUMMONS by
JOHN GRISHAM . She has been constantly supporting me, guiding me and helping me with
all my queries and difficulties regarding this project since its fledging stage. Without her help
this project would have been a Herculean task.

Through this topic I got the opportunity to do lots of research, which resulted in enhancement
of my knowledge as well as skills.

I would also like to thank my family members for their constant support.

I thank the librarians of Dr. Madhu Limaye library for helping me find the correct resources
for my research and for helping me enrich my knowledge.

I know that despite my sincerest efforts some discrepancies might have crept in, I hope and
believe that I would be pardoned for the same.

Thanking You

Komal
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. About the Author

3. Facts of book

4. Summary

5. Important Themes

6. Style of Writing

7. Character Sketches

8. Critical Analysis
 INTRODUCTION

The Summons is a Legal thriller novel written by author John Grisham who is known for his
novels on legal fiction which really captivate the readers. The novel comprises of 373 pages
and the focus of the novel is on the main character Ray Atlee who is a law professor and
whose father is a judge although they are both not in contact and don’t live together. One day
he is summoned by his father and stumbles upon money amounting to a total of 3 million
dollars and decides to take it with him. The rest of the story revolves around him finding the
truth about that money and losing his sanity over it. This project is an attempt to study the
basic human tendencies of greed which is also one of the 7 deadly sins as described in
various books and no matter how good a human being you are , at the end of the day you can
turn greedy and money can take over your life and become your driving force.
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Ray Grisham Jr. (born February 8, 1955) is an American novelist, attorney, politician,
and activist, best known for his popular legal thrillers. His books have been translated into 42
languages and published worldwide.

Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University and received a J.D. degree from the
University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981. He practiced criminal law for about a
decade and served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from January 1984 to
September 1990.

His first novel, A Time to Kill, was published in June 1989, four years after he began writing
it. As of 2012, his books had sold over 275 million copies worldwide. A Galaxy British Book
Awards winner, Grisham is one of only three authors to sell two million copies on a first
printing, the other two being Tom Clancy and J. K. Rowling.

Grisham's first bestseller, The Firm, sold more than seven million copies. The book was
adapted into a 1993 feature film of the same name, starring Tom Cruise, and a 2012 TV
series which continues the story ten years after the events of the film and novel. Eight of his
other novels have also been adapted into films: The Chamber, The Client, A Painted House,
The Pelican Brief, The Rainmaker, The Runaway Jury, Skipping Christmas, and A Time to
Kill.
 Facts of the Book
Author – John Grisham Published in February 2002

Language – English Genre – Legal Thriller Novel

Publisher – Doubleday Media Type - Print

 SUMMARY

The story begins with the description of a law professor, Ray Atlee, who is the main
character of the novel. He earns a handsome salary and has a brother named Forrest, and a
father, known to many as Judge Reuben V. Atlee who as his name suggests is an actual
judge. Ray is summoned by his father to his father's house in Clanton, Mississippi, to discuss
issues regarding the old man's will and estate as the old man is really old and might die any
moment. To do this, Ray has to go to fictional Ford County, Mississippi which he is reluctant
to do but he makes note of the fact that he can’t ignore his father’s orders . Upon reaching he
finds his father dead in the study and Ray discovers a sum of over $3 million in the house,
money which is not part of Judge Atlee's will and nowhere he founds a mention for the same.
Upon deep analysis Ray comes to the conclusion that this money is dirty as it is highly
unlikely and not even plausible for a judge to earn so much without taking bribes. However
the dilemma arises because his father was a very serious and honest judge who maintained
and was known for his good character.

Thus greed takes over him and he assumes that he is the only one who knows about the
money and so he decides to take it without making it officially part of the estate, and does not
tell anyone about it not even his brother Forrest and he knows that if he made it a part of the
estate, taxes would take most of the money. Thus he goes on a mission to search for the
source of the money and also whether this money is tapped or marked in any way. However
problems occur when he is being followed and things start going haywire. He even hires a
detective to maintain his safety .

Finally he finds the source of the which is a prominent south lawyer who gave this money to
the judge because he passed a judgement favouring his client. However when he finally
discovers the truth behind his fathers death and who was the one who was following him it is
already too late. His brother Forrest did it all and Forrest also takes all the money secretly
from Ray. Finally Ray finds Forrest in a drug rehab compound and confronts him. At the end
both part, with Forrest telling Ray that he will contact him in a year.
 IMPORTANT THEMES

The book effectively deals with the sin of greed and how even the most honest of people
living the most satisfying of lives can take rash decisions all because of greed . It also
highlights how excess of greed can drive one to insanity and too much money makes it
difficult to sleep and relax calmly. It also focuses on how when you are living an honest life
you have nothing to worry about and hence are happy inside but the moment you decide to
indulge in stealing money and hiding things you lose that same calmness which you earlier
had.

Many characters succumb to greed, Ray Atlee takes the money and does not disclose it to the
government nor his brother. Judge who had a clean track record of 40 years also accepts the
money and does not throw it out. Ray is left by his wife for a rich man because of her greed
and Forrest also takes all of the money for himself at the end and completely disregards his
brother.
 STYLE OF WRITING

The book's narrative is clear yet intriguing as you are hooked to the book from the beginning
till the end wanting to discover the truth about the money. The characters all seem to be
relatable and humane and drawn to great precision without any contradiction to the traits that
they had shown initially. The book is consistent in nature and not rushed. The pacing is slow
yet effective in revealing things when the need arises rather than throwing information just
for the sake of it.

The writer also gives us in depth analysis of each character and we get hooked to knowing
more about these characters, be it the drug addict yet humorous Forrest or the smart and
intelligent main character Ray whose greed takes over him.
 CHARACTER SKETCHES

RAY ATLEE : The protagonist of the story he is a professor of law at the University of
Virginia. He's forty-three, newly single, and still enduring the aftershocks of a surprise
divorce. He is shown to truly care and love his first wife though he later decides to get over
her. He is shown to be professional in his conduct and does not engage with his students
outside of his professional capacity in his university. He is an ideal son though he does not
agree with his father but still reluctantly agrees to go to him when he is summoned. He is
saddened by the demise of his father and thus he is humane to the core. He becomes greedy
and decided to keep all of the money to himself thus highlighting the most basic of human
tendencies that is that of greed. He is also shown to be extremely intelligent and is able to
gather information quickly about the money. He is also smart with a great presence of mind.
Despite being in his forties he still exercise regularly and leads a disciplined life. He is also
quick to understand the changing circumstances and hence quickly apologises to his brother
in the end and asks him for the money.

Forrest : He is portrayed as a drug addict who was a disgrace for his father. He dislikes his
father and is the one to actually kill him in his old age. He often is able to control himself and
stay out of drugs for some time but lacks enough discipline to remain drug free for long and
thus bounces back sooner or later. He is shown to be wicked and cunning and merciless. He
takes all of the money from Ray at the end and is effectively able to scare him with the help
of goons. However it is also shown that he wants to be cured as even in the end he is found at
a drug rehab spending the 3 million dollars to get cured of his drug addiction.

Judge Reuben V. Atlee : The father of Forrest and Ray Atlee he is shown to be a pillar of the
community who towered over local law and politics for forty years, however before his
demise he is shown to be a shadow of his former self—a sick, lonely old man who has
withdrawn to his sprawling ancestral home in Clanton, Mississippi. He is shown to be strong
and even in his old age he orders his sons to do things which he wants them to do. Despite
being an honest and stern judge he succumbs to greed at the end of his career and accepts a
large sum of money though in the form of gift.
 CRITICAL ANALYSIS

A skilled tale spinner and a brilliant author known for his legal thrillers, John Grisham
entertainingly evokes a sleepy, deep-southern town and its eccentric inhabitants in The
Summons with each character having depths beyond their initial appearance. The various
town “types” contribute to the air of mystery, threat, and unexplained family and local
secrets. Ray is at a loss as to where the money might have come from and what it might
mean: blackmail? payoffs? something more sinister? Which all add to the charm of the novel
and how greed can take over someone.

In a manner similar to his early novels Grisham builds suspense by maintaining Ray’s sense
of confusion about the source and meaning of the danger that surrounds him and although
Ray can decide to share the money with his brother earlier and make him a part of his
endeavour he decided to hog all the money for himself only. The ways in which Ray attempts
to solve the puzzle are logical and entertaining, such as gambling in casinos around the
country to check to see if the money is counterfeit or otherwise marked and if he uses the
money in huge amount can he be caught. Local folks, including his life-long friend, Harry
Rex, and his father’s long-time lover withhold or otherwise obscure the facts, leaving Ray to
struggle on alone and rich lawyers from the south who sue multinational corporations not
only to earn money and fame for themselves but because they derive a kick out of it. All add
to the charm of the novel.

The novel explores themes of greed and helps you understand that there is enough for your
need but not for your greed. In all the novel is a complete package and a must read for anyone
into the legal fields, thrillers or just getting hooked to mysteries.
 REFERENCES
https://www.enotes.com/topics/summons

https://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/953/the-summons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summons

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Grisham

https://www.amazon.com/Summons-Novel-John-Grisham/dp/0345531981

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5352.The_Summons

https://www.jgrisham.com/books/the-summons/