|
|
Executive Times |
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
2005 Book Reviews |
||
|
|
The Broker
by John Grisham |
||
|
|
Rating: ••• (Recommended) |
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Click on
title or picture to buy from amazon.com |
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Chase John Grisham strays from his typical
legal thriller in his new book, The
Broker, and readers benefit from this change in venue. Protagonist Joel Blackman,
a D.C. powerbroker serving time in federal prison, finds himself released and
transported to Here’s
an excerpt, all of Chapter 9, pp. 86-95: Midway through the
morning session the following day, Marco abruptly changed direction. In the
middle of a particularly tedious piece of dialogue he ditched the Italian
and said, “You’re not a student.” Ermanno looked up from the study guide, paused
for a moment, then said, “Non inglese, Marco. Soltanto Italiano.” Only
Italian. “I’m tired of Italian right now, okay?
You’re not a student.” Deceit was difficult for Ermanno, and he paused a bit too
long. “I am,” he said, without much conviction. “No, I don’t think so. You’re obviously
not taking classes, otherwise you wouldn’t be able
to spend all day teaching me.” “Maybe I have classes at night. Why
does it matter?” “You’re not taking classes anywhere.
There are no books here, no student newspaper, none of the usual crap that
students leave lying around everywhere.” “Perhaps it’s in the other room.” “Let me see.” “Why? Why is it important?” “Because I think you work for the same
people Luigi works for.” “And what if I do?” “I want to know who they
are.” “Suppose I don’t know?
Why should you be concerned? Your task is to learn the language.” “How long have you lived
here, in this apartment?” “I don’t have to answer
your questions.” “See, I think you got
here last week; that this is a safe house of some sort; that you’re not
really who you say you are.” “Then that would make two
of us.” Ermanno suddenly stood and walked through
the tiny kitchen to the rear of the apartment. He returned with some papers,
which he slid in front of Marco. It was a registration packet from the I
resume classes soon,” Ermanno said. “Would you like some more coffee?” Marco was scanning the
forms, comprehending just enough to get the message. “Yes, please,” he said.
It was just paperwork—easily faked. But if it was a forgery, it was
a very good one. Ermanno disappeared into the
kitchen and began running water. Marco shoved his chair
back and said, “I’m going for a walk around the block. I need to clear my
head.” The
routine changed at dinner.
Luigi met him in front of a tobacco shop facing the Piazza dei Signori, and they strolled
along a busy alley as shopkeepers were closing up. It was already dark and
very cold, and smartly bundled businessmen hurried home, their heads covered
with hats and scarves. Luigi had his gloved
hands buried deep in the wool pockets of his knee-length rough fabric duster,
one that could’ve been handed down by his grandfather or purchased last week
in Luigi was in no hurry and seemed to
enjoy the cold. He offered a few comments in Italian, but Marco refused to
play along. “English, Luigi,” he said twice. “I need English.” “All right. How was your second day of
class?” “Good. Ermanno’s
okay. No sense of humor but an adequate teacher.” “You’re making progress?” “How could I not make progress?” “Ermanno
tells me you have an ear for the language.” “Ermanno is a
bad con man and you know it. I’m working hard because a lot depends on it.
I’m drilled by him six hours a day, then I spend
three hours at night cramming. Progress is inevitable.” “You work very hard,” Luigi repeated.
He suddenly stopped and looked at what appeared to be a small deli. “This,
Marco, is dinner.” Marco stared with disapproval. The
storefront was no more than fifteen feet across. Three tables were crammed in
the window and the place appeared to be packed. “Are you sure?” Marco asked. “Yes, it’s very good. Lighter food,
sandwiches and stuff. You’re eating by yourself. I’m not going in.” Marco looked at him and started to
protest, then he caught himself and smiled as if he
gladly accepted the challenge. “The menu is on a chalkboard above the
cashier, no English. Order first, pay, then pick up your food at the far end
of the counter, which is not a bad to place to sit if you can get a stool.
Tip is included.” Marco asked, “What’s the specialty of
the house?” “The ham and artichoke pizza is
delicious. So are the panini.
I’ll meet you over there, by the fountain, in one hour.” Marco gritted his teeth and entered the
café, very alone. As he waited behind two young ladies he desperately
searched the chalkboard for something he could pronounce. Forget taste. What
was important was the ordering and paying. Fortunately, the cashier was a
middle-aged lady who enjoyed smiling. Marco gave her a friendly “Buona sera,” and before she could shoot something back he
ordered a “panino prosciutto
e formaggio”—ham and cheese sandwich—and a
Coca-Cola. Good ol’
Coca-Cola. The same in any language. The register rattled and
she offered a blur of words that he did not understand. But he kept smiling
and said, “Si,” then handed over a twenty-euro
bill, certainly enough to cover things and bring back some change. It worked.
With the change was a ticket. “Numero sessantasette,” she said. Number sixty-seven. He held the ticket and
moved slowly along the counter toward the kitchen. No one gawked at him, no
one seemed to notice. Was he actually passing himself off as an Italian, a
real local? Or was it so obvious that he was an alien that the locals didn’t
bother to look? He had quickly developed the habit of evaluating how other
men were dressed, and he judged himself to be in the game. As Luigi had told
him, the men of northern Luigi, or whoever had put
together his wardrobe, one no doubt paid for by the American taxpayers, had
done a fine job. For a man who’d worn the same prison garb for six years,
Marco was quickly adjusting to things Italian. He watched the plates of
food as they popped up along the counter near the grill. After about ten
minutes, a thick sandwich appeared. A server grabbed it, snatched off a
ticket, and yelled, “Numero sessantasette.”
Marco stepped forward without a word and produced his ticket. The soft drink
came next. He found a seat at a small corner table and thoroughly enjoyed the
solitude of his dinner. The deli was loud and crowded,
a neighborhood place where many of the customers knew each other. Their
greetings involved hugs and kisses and long hellos, even longer goodbyes.
Waiting in line to order caused no problems, though the Italians seemed to
struggle with the basic concept of one standing behind the other. Back home
there would’ve been sharp words from the customers and perhaps swearing from
the cashier. In a country where a
three-hundred-year-old house is considered new, time has a different meaning.
Food is to be enjoyed, even in a small deli with few tables. Those seated
close to Joel seemed poised to take hours to digest their pizza and
sandwiches. There was simply too much talking to do! The brain-dead pace of
prison life had flattened all his edges. He’d kept his sanity by reading
eight books a week, but even that exercise had been for escape and not
necessarily for learning. Two days of intensive memorizing, conjugating,
pronouncing, and listening like he’d never listened before left him mentally
exhausted. So he absorbed the roar
of Italian without trying to understand any of it. He enjoyed its rhythm and
cadence and laughter. He caught a word every now and then, especially in the
greetings and farewells, and considered this to be progress of some sort.
Watching the families and friends made him lonely, though he refused to dwell
on it. Loneliness was twenty-three hours a day in a small cell with little
mail and nothing but a cheap paperback to keep him company. He’d seen loneliness;
this was a day at the beach. He tried hard to linger
over his ham and cheese, but he could only stretch it so far. He reminded
himself to order fries the next time because fries can be toyed with until
long after they’re cold, thus extending the meal far beyond what would be
considered normal back home. Reluctantly, he surrendered his table. Almost an
hour after he entered the café, he left the warmth of it and walked to the
fountain where the water had been turned off so it wouldn’t freeze. Luigi
strolled up a few minutes later, as if he’d been loitering in the shadows,
waiting. He had the nerve to suggest a gelato, an ice cream, but Marco was
already shivering. They walked to the hotel and said good night. Luigi’s
field supervisor had
diplomatic cover at the Teddy wanted a briefing. Ms. Javier was summoned
to his office on the seventh floor, to the “Teddy Wing,” as it was known
throughout He was barely alive, but
then Julia Javier had been thinking that for years now. Since she didn’t drink
coffee and wouldn’t touch the tea, nothing was offered. She took her
customary seat to his right, sort of the witness chair that all visitors
were expected to take—his right ear caught much more than his left—and he
managed a very tired “Hello, Julia.” Hoby, as always, sat across from her and
prepared to take notes. Every sound in the “station” was being captured by
some of the most sophisticated recording devices modern technology had
created, but Hoby nonetheless went through the
charade of writing it all down. “Brief me on Backman,” Teddy said. A verbal report such as this was
expected to be concise, to the point, with not a single unnecessary word
thrown in. Julia looked at her
notes, cleared her throat, and began speaking for the hidden recorders. “He’s
in place in “How is his language?” “Not bad. He’s fifty-two
years old, so it won’t be quick.” “I learned Arabic when I
was sixty,” Teddy said proudly, as if sixty was a century ago. “Yes, I know,” she said.
Everyone at “What does he talk
about?” “Not the past, not old
friends and old enemies. Nothing that would interest us. He’s closed that
off, for now anyway. Idle conversation tends to be about his new home, the
culture and language.” “His mood?” “He just walked out of
prison fourteen years early and he’s having long meals and good wine. He’s
quite happy. Doesn’t appear to be homesick, but of course he doesn’t really
have a home. Never talks about his family.” “His health?” “Seems fine. The cough is gone. Appears
to be sleeping. No complaints.” “How much does he drink?” “He’s careful. Enjoys wine at lunch and
dinner and a beer in a nearby bar, but nothing excessive.” “Let’s try and crank up the booze,
okay? See if he’ll talk more.” “That’s our plan.” “How secure
is he?” “Everything’s bugged—phones, room,
language lessons, lunches, dinners. Even his shoes have mikes. Both pairs.
His overcoat has a Peak 30 sewn into the lining. We can track him virtually
anywhere.” “So you can’t lose him?” “He’s a lawyer, not a spy. As of now,
he seems very content to enjoy his freedom and do what he’s told.” “He’s not stupid, though. Remember
that, Julia. Backman knows there are some very
nasty people who would love to find him.” “True, but right now he’s like a
toddler clinging to his mother.” “So he feels safe?” “Under the circumstances, yes.” “Then let’s give him a scare.” “Now?” “Yes.” Teddy rubbed his eyes and took a
sip of tea. “What about his son?” “Level-three surveillance, not much
happening in “His son is the only person he trusts,”
Teddy said, stating what Julia had said many times. “Very true.” After a long pause he
said, “Anything else, Julia?” “He’s writing a letter to
his mother in Teddy gave a quick smile.
“How nice. Do we have it?” “Yes, our agent took a
picture of it yesterday, we just got it. Back-man hides it in between the
pages of a local tourism magazine in his hotel room.” “How
long is it?” “Two good paragraphs.
Evidently a work in progress.” “Read it to me,” Teddy said as he leaned his
head back against his wheelchair and closed his eyes. Julia shuffled papers and
pushed up her reading glasses. “No date, handwritten, which is a chore
because Backman’s penmanship is lousy. ‘Dear
Mother: I’m not sure when or if you will ever receive this letter. I’m not
sure if I will ever mail it, which could affect whether or not you get it. At
any rate, I’m out of prison
and doing better. In my last letter I said things were going well in the flat
country of She laid it down and said, “That’s as far as
he’s gotten.” Teddy opened his eyes and
said, “You think he’s stupid enough to mail a letter to his mother?” “No. But he’s been writing
her once a week for a long time. It’s
a habit, and it’s probably therapeutic. He has to talk to somebody.” “Are
we still watching her
mail?” “Yes, what little she
receives.” “Very well. Scare the
hell out of him, then report back.” “Yes sir.” Julia gathered
her papers and left the office. Teddy picked up a summary and adjusted his
reading glasses. Hoby went to a small kitchen
nearby. Backman’s mother’s phone had been tapped in the
nursing home in Lydia Backman
had survived two strokes and was confined to a wheelchair. When her son was at his pinnacle she lived in
relative luxury in a spacious condo with a full-time nurse. His conviction had forced her to give up
the good life and live in a nursing home with a hundred others. Surely Backman would not try to contact her. The
Broker is the best Grisham offering in a long time and exceeded my
expectations. Steve Hopkins,
March 23, 2005 |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Go to Executive Times
Archives |
|||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
ã 2005 Hopkins and Company, LLC The recommendation rating for
this book appeared in the April 2005
issue of Executive Times URL for this review: http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/Books/The
Broker.htm For Reprint Permission,
Contact: Hopkins & Company, LLC • E-mail: books@hopkinsandcompany.com |
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
