Book Review : A Painted House

(by John Grisham)
Even when the book ended I never found out whether uncle Ricky returned from Korea or not. This book doesnt really have a fairy tale happy ending, but such a practical one, and that says a lot about this book, a simple story told with great purpose through the eyes of a seven year old. The world the seven year potrayed might have been completely different from another person's vision. I think its after a long time that I have really loved a book.

The first couple of pages were confusing for me getting so many names at first. But then the scene settled in, and you could see the unpainted house, the cotton fields, and the whole family too. Its a simple farm tale set in rural Arkansas, and the narrator of the story is 7 year old Luke Chandler. And his amazing vision makes the whole story so captivating. And you fall in love with all the characters. The always grumbling and annoyed grandfather. A granny who is always eager to play doctor and test out stuff on anyone. A silent father who is a dutiful family man. And a mother who wants to escape the farms, but didnt make much fuss about it. And ofcourse Ricky Chandler, the nineteen year old uncle of Luke, who makes no appearance in the book, but is mentioned so many times, you just wonder will he be the surprise hero at the end of the book, but thats not to be.

They are cotton farmers, living in a unpainted house, and farming on rented land, and each year they are getting under debt cos of crop failures of floods. This year the crop is good, and they find labour in mexicans and the hill family. Luke wants to grow up and be a baseball player and play for the Cardinals. He is just seven but even he has to work in the farms, and pick cotton. The floods would be arriving soon, and they have to pick off cotton before the weather ruins the crops. The hill family have 5 kids, and the eldest Hank, taunts him that their house isnt even painted. Luke is hurt, but doesnt really set about painting the house. He is saving money for the cardinals jacket. But two other kids of that family are secretly painting their house. And then Luke is faced with many secrets which he has to withhold with himself for sometime. And his curiosity leads him to witnessing the murder of Hank. But that part isnt over played in the story and that was impressive. He keeps it with himself cos the murderer - a mexican labourer - Cowboy, threatens him.

And then Tally, Hank's sister, runs off with Cowboy. And then their remanining crops are destroyed by rain and hail. Luke in a way grows up and uses the money he has been saving for the Cardinal's Jacket, for buying paint for the house. And Luke's father decides that they have to leave for a job up north, leaving Pappy and Gran. That was such a sad moment to see Pappy drive them down to the bus station. And the books ends with the three sitting in the bus, and Luke viewing outside the window.

In between all this was so much more. Normal family chit chat and stuff which was very interesting. Their visits to Black Oak, the nearby town, the illegitimate child of Ricky being born at the Latchers, the friendship of Tally and Luke and ofcourse the letters of Ricky. It was all interesting. The way a seven year old child would think makes the story more interesting. Some sample lines of his thought

"Reverand Akers, a loud and angry man, who spent much of his time conjuring up new sins."

"Yes, and they were all bigger than luke - my mother said, and the legend began to grown. The size of my three attackers would increase as the days and months went by."

"As we entered the garden, I realized what my mother was doing. If we hurried and made it to the Latchers before quitting time, then the parents and all those kids would be in the fields. Libby, if she was in fact pregnant, would be hanging around the house, most likely alone. She would have no choice but to come out and accept our vegetables. We could blindside her, and nail her with Christian goodness while her protectors were away. It was a brilliant plan."

Luke's a pretty intelligent kid. And his trail of thought is funny and honest. The whole story kinda reminded me of my childhood. I didnt have a rural childhood but we used to sleep up on the roof in summer, fighting, flashing torchlights, and watching stars till we slept. And point out at strange things in the sky at night. And my trail of thought was always pretty inquisitive as well.

About the ending, the fairy tale ending would have been that Ricky came back from the war bringing in loads of cash, meaning no one had to leave and the family united. But things are seldom that way in real life. Though our throat constricts in the end, when they are having their last breakfast at their home, and then Gran sitting on the front steps wiping her tears. And then even an otherwise unflappable Pappy had moisture in his eyes when he pinched Luke's cheeks and said goodbye. That paragraph brought back some memories of my grandfather I guess. As Luke watched that tractor go back to the farm, what was he thinking? I would have thought about what Pappy was gonna do when he reached back to his home, it would be empty without those three. I almost made me cry. Why does life have to be that way? But, isnt that what I intend to do, I intend to go away to discover a life for myself too. And thats the way it is, and though we would love to see them live together, and Ricky return, but thats not how it is. And the grin on her mother's face in the bus probably shows that she has no intention of going back.

Its such an honest and sincere book and I loved it a lot. I am gonna give it 4.5 out of 5....