•9:42 PM
"No one here is bored."
Rusty Sabich says this of his own trial, in Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow. And he is right - this book is not boring for one minute.
I loved this book and I think (at least) part of the reason is that I love the law. I love everything about it. I love that we have laws. I love that the law evolves. I love that the law is not definite and can be shaped to work for you. I would love to be a lawyer. I mean, I would really love to be a lawyer. If you like the law, even a little bit, you will love this book. I could not put it down, constantly having to choose between one more chapter and those annoying "mother" responsibilities, like bathing children and preparing meals. I stayed up until well after midnight, finishing it ... then I was left ... wide awake on Sunday night with no Anderson Cooper to lull me to sleep... going over the facts again, figuring everything out. I know, I have issues ... and they are many.
The book begins with an Opening Statement, and ends with a Closing Argument. I love that. It is clever and slick, in a legal sort of way. In fact, the whole book is entertaining. After reading two books (in a row) about the food industry and all the horrible things we are doing to our bodies, I was ready for a good old-fashion novel, with characters and a plot. This novel did not disappoint. There were times that I was so engrossed in the story that I was oblivious to my surroundings ... like when Addie C. took every single piece of clothing she owns off its hanger, and proceeded to them try on (apparently). Because I found them covering her bedroom floor, some turned inside-outside, others just crumpled up. Now, if I did this, it would amount to a very small hill of clothes, maybe not even as big as a hill (unless you count pyjamas, of course). But Addison has been the recipient of many hand-me-downs, as well as bags of new clothing from Gramas and Nanas. Once, I counted ten pairs of jeans ... and she doesn't even wear jeans because they are not "pwetty." But apparently, while I was sitting at Rusty Sabich's defence table trying to figure out our next move, she was trying on many pairs of jeans and shirts to match. And when those did not meet her fancy, she decided to try on all the dresses and skirts, too. But I'm not going to worry because I have a plan.
Presumed Innocent centres around a Prosecuting Attorney, Rusty Sabbich, who is accused of murdering his co-worker. A co-worker with whom he has had an affair. There are many twists and turns in the plot. He, of course, is innocent; and the manner in which Turow reveals the real killer is brilliant.
Carolyn Polhemus is our victim, and she is beautiful (of course), and very smart in her lawyering ways. She is also manipulative, and sly, and motivated, and wants to be successful. She wants to be recognized and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She uses people and discards them when they are no longer of use to her. Yes, you can say it ... she is a bitch.
Rusty is so likeable, it hurts. He is second-in-command at the Prosecutor's Office; he is well-liked, respected and good at his job. But, he makes a mistake when he becomes involved with Carolyn.
Why do people cheat? In Rusty's case, he was completely "in lust" with Carolyn. Almost obsessed. He describes his marriage as dull and his wife, Barbara, as a recluse, with no friends and no interests outside Mathematics. Mathematics? Who considers math an interest? Anyhow, Rusty does love Barbara and he acknowledges the excellent mother she is to their son, Nat.
The legal case in Presumed Innocent is exciting; this is the type of criminal case I would love to be involved with. But, are there really cases like this? Maybe the Bernardo case, certainly the OJ Simpson case ... those lawyers must have had their hands more than full. High media scrutiny, pressure for conviction, twists and turns along the way. I suspect that the average day in Windsor Criminal Court has more to do with petty crime, domestic assault, and drug-related offences. But, still, I would love to be (legally) involved in a big murder case, or a high-level corporate scheme ... something really juicy. However, I think I would have to move to a big city, like Toronto, or Montreal, or Calgary to get the kind of action I crave.
Even Rusty wishes he was involved in his own law suit as a lawyer, instead of as a defendant. He describes his attorney, Stern, appearing "almost jaunty. His flesh is invigorated by the high excitement; ... he is about to give the opening statement in the most noted case of his career. Suddenly, I am full of envy. I have not thought in all the months about how much fun it would be to try this case, an understandable omission. But those old inclinations suddenly surge forth amid this supercharged air."
Have you ever been "invigorated by the high excitement?" Or the excitement of the high? When I worked out there ... in the world ... I was a Supervisor with the Social Services Department in Sarnia. We would make decisions (based on Regulations and Legislation), and our clients had the ability to appeal those decisions. An Adjudicator would come, and we would have a Hearing. The Supervisors had to defend the decisions they made. At first, I was terrified - for a couple of reasons. I was not accustomed to the procedure itself and, often, the client would retain the services of Legal Aid. Which meant they had a real, live Lawyer to assist them in their appeal. I would become almost sick, with worry, as the Hearing drew nearer. But as time went on and I gained some experience, I really enjoyed it - thinking on my toes, matching wits against one of those real, live Lawyers. We would leave the Hearing excited, talking a million miles a minute, going over every detail and feeling confident in what the outcome would be. Okay, I always talk a million miles a minute, but still ... understand that there was excitement in the air. The decisions I made were good, and certainly within the Regulations; I had nothing to fear ...but fear itself. Plus that is probably the closest I'll ever come to becoming a real, live Lawyer myself!
Could I be a Defence Attorney, though? Very difficult question to answer. I can say, with confidence, that I would whole-heartedly throw myself into defending someone whom I knew was innocent. Especially, if I felt they had been wronged in some way ... I'm a helper, remember? But what if the defendant was accused of sexual assault? Or child pornography? Or animal cruelty? Could you?
Everyone is entitled to a legal defence. That is the law around here. And, if you are assigned to represent this "bad" person, you must represent them to the best of your ability. That is law, too. It would be difficult in some cases, but also a challenge. Maybe that is why they do it ... because Defence Atttorneys are the thrill-seekers of the litigation world.
Presumed Innocent was written in 1987, and many noticeable things have changed since then. There are the obvious things ... nobody had a cell-phone or even a cordless phone, computers were new and not all information could be found on all computers, forensics were ridiculous. And, they all still smoked in the office. Turow makes mention of the media presence ... but it does not seem to match what the media presence would be today. I feel sorry for people who have to go through difficult times in the public spotlight ... Elin Woods comes to mind.
And so, Rusty Stabich is right. There is nothing boring here. There are so many surprises in this book, and I don't want to give them away. Don't watch the movie ... Go ... read this book because you won't be disappointed.
I am going back to farm life apparently ... A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley is next.
Rusty Sabich says this of his own trial, in Presumed Innocent, by Scott Turow. And he is right - this book is not boring for one minute.
I loved this book and I think (at least) part of the reason is that I love the law. I love everything about it. I love that we have laws. I love that the law evolves. I love that the law is not definite and can be shaped to work for you. I would love to be a lawyer. I mean, I would really love to be a lawyer. If you like the law, even a little bit, you will love this book. I could not put it down, constantly having to choose between one more chapter and those annoying "mother" responsibilities, like bathing children and preparing meals. I stayed up until well after midnight, finishing it ... then I was left ... wide awake on Sunday night with no Anderson Cooper to lull me to sleep... going over the facts again, figuring everything out. I know, I have issues ... and they are many.
The book begins with an Opening Statement, and ends with a Closing Argument. I love that. It is clever and slick, in a legal sort of way. In fact, the whole book is entertaining. After reading two books (in a row) about the food industry and all the horrible things we are doing to our bodies, I was ready for a good old-fashion novel, with characters and a plot. This novel did not disappoint. There were times that I was so engrossed in the story that I was oblivious to my surroundings ... like when Addie C. took every single piece of clothing she owns off its hanger, and proceeded to them try on (apparently). Because I found them covering her bedroom floor, some turned inside-outside, others just crumpled up. Now, if I did this, it would amount to a very small hill of clothes, maybe not even as big as a hill (unless you count pyjamas, of course). But Addison has been the recipient of many hand-me-downs, as well as bags of new clothing from Gramas and Nanas. Once, I counted ten pairs of jeans ... and she doesn't even wear jeans because they are not "pwetty." But apparently, while I was sitting at Rusty Sabich's defence table trying to figure out our next move, she was trying on many pairs of jeans and shirts to match. And when those did not meet her fancy, she decided to try on all the dresses and skirts, too. But I'm not going to worry because I have a plan.
Presumed Innocent centres around a Prosecuting Attorney, Rusty Sabbich, who is accused of murdering his co-worker. A co-worker with whom he has had an affair. There are many twists and turns in the plot. He, of course, is innocent; and the manner in which Turow reveals the real killer is brilliant.
Carolyn Polhemus is our victim, and she is beautiful (of course), and very smart in her lawyering ways. She is also manipulative, and sly, and motivated, and wants to be successful. She wants to be recognized and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants. She uses people and discards them when they are no longer of use to her. Yes, you can say it ... she is a bitch.
Rusty is so likeable, it hurts. He is second-in-command at the Prosecutor's Office; he is well-liked, respected and good at his job. But, he makes a mistake when he becomes involved with Carolyn.
Why do people cheat? In Rusty's case, he was completely "in lust" with Carolyn. Almost obsessed. He describes his marriage as dull and his wife, Barbara, as a recluse, with no friends and no interests outside Mathematics. Mathematics? Who considers math an interest? Anyhow, Rusty does love Barbara and he acknowledges the excellent mother she is to their son, Nat.
"As a family, we are bound together by this symmetry: in the world, I love Nat most, and he adores his mother. Even at this scrappy age, full of the furious energy of a person of eight, he softens for her as no one else. She alone is allowed to hold him at length; and they enjoy a special sympathy, communion, a dependence that goes deeper than the unsounded depths of mother and child ... She equals his devotion. He is never out of her imagination."I understand this because this is how it is for my Caiden and I. We enjoy an understanding of one another, and we certainly share a dependence ... but that is a discussion for another time.
The legal case in Presumed Innocent is exciting; this is the type of criminal case I would love to be involved with. But, are there really cases like this? Maybe the Bernardo case, certainly the OJ Simpson case ... those lawyers must have had their hands more than full. High media scrutiny, pressure for conviction, twists and turns along the way. I suspect that the average day in Windsor Criminal Court has more to do with petty crime, domestic assault, and drug-related offences. But, still, I would love to be (legally) involved in a big murder case, or a high-level corporate scheme ... something really juicy. However, I think I would have to move to a big city, like Toronto, or Montreal, or Calgary to get the kind of action I crave.
Even Rusty wishes he was involved in his own law suit as a lawyer, instead of as a defendant. He describes his attorney, Stern, appearing "almost jaunty. His flesh is invigorated by the high excitement; ... he is about to give the opening statement in the most noted case of his career. Suddenly, I am full of envy. I have not thought in all the months about how much fun it would be to try this case, an understandable omission. But those old inclinations suddenly surge forth amid this supercharged air."
Have you ever been "invigorated by the high excitement?" Or the excitement of the high? When I worked out there ... in the world ... I was a Supervisor with the Social Services Department in Sarnia. We would make decisions (based on Regulations and Legislation), and our clients had the ability to appeal those decisions. An Adjudicator would come, and we would have a Hearing. The Supervisors had to defend the decisions they made. At first, I was terrified - for a couple of reasons. I was not accustomed to the procedure itself and, often, the client would retain the services of Legal Aid. Which meant they had a real, live Lawyer to assist them in their appeal. I would become almost sick, with worry, as the Hearing drew nearer. But as time went on and I gained some experience, I really enjoyed it - thinking on my toes, matching wits against one of those real, live Lawyers. We would leave the Hearing excited, talking a million miles a minute, going over every detail and feeling confident in what the outcome would be. Okay, I always talk a million miles a minute, but still ... understand that there was excitement in the air. The decisions I made were good, and certainly within the Regulations; I had nothing to fear ...but fear itself. Plus that is probably the closest I'll ever come to becoming a real, live Lawyer myself!
Could I be a Defence Attorney, though? Very difficult question to answer. I can say, with confidence, that I would whole-heartedly throw myself into defending someone whom I knew was innocent. Especially, if I felt they had been wronged in some way ... I'm a helper, remember? But what if the defendant was accused of sexual assault? Or child pornography? Or animal cruelty? Could you?
Everyone is entitled to a legal defence. That is the law around here. And, if you are assigned to represent this "bad" person, you must represent them to the best of your ability. That is law, too. It would be difficult in some cases, but also a challenge. Maybe that is why they do it ... because Defence Atttorneys are the thrill-seekers of the litigation world.
Presumed Innocent was written in 1987, and many noticeable things have changed since then. There are the obvious things ... nobody had a cell-phone or even a cordless phone, computers were new and not all information could be found on all computers, forensics were ridiculous. And, they all still smoked in the office. Turow makes mention of the media presence ... but it does not seem to match what the media presence would be today. I feel sorry for people who have to go through difficult times in the public spotlight ... Elin Woods comes to mind.
And so, Rusty Stabich is right. There is nothing boring here. There are so many surprises in this book, and I don't want to give them away. Don't watch the movie ... Go ... read this book because you won't be disappointed.
I am going back to farm life apparently ... A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley is next.
2 comments:
Jill,
i wanted to read this book but never got around to it, sounds like i should though. I love legal stories too, but doesn't the law frustrate you as well? I think Windsor is full of criminals, crimes, and crazy courtroom dramas. I've known a few people who've been personally involved ( another story). I don't think i could be a defense attorney because i don't have that much sympathy. ( is that bad? what if i was accused of something i didn't do... i would want an attorney who cared)
It's funny that you say you and Caidan share a dependence and understanding of one another. We always say in our family that Jake and I are alike and Marv and Megs are more alike. In certain ways. But lots of my colleagues and friends say this too, that they are attached in different ways to their children. Especially their first.
okay, so far off topic....... never heard of A Thousand Acres, can't wait to hear about it.
Sounds like I might like this one too, Jill. Not sure, but I may have already seen the movie. It doesn't matter though. We all know that the book is always better.