The Associate

Thesis: The author intends to inform readers on the banality of corruption and impunity that is rife in corporate law firms.

The Associate is a legal thriller by John Grisham whose setting is predominantly in New York City. Excellent penmanship has produced a compelling novel that is unequivocally a page-turner with twists and expectations galore. Grisham made his intention clear at the beginning of the novel. He did this by introducing the discordant forces of good and evil that was set to antagonize each other in the story. He maintained his focus on this and carried the reader involving him subliminally throughout the text. The literal genius orchestrates a plot that imperceptibly escalates to the point of being far-fetched and bordering realms that defy resolution without the reader realizing it. This can be exemplified by the instances he occasionally comes up with elements that leave a bad taste in the reader’s mouth but they keep reading the book. His choice of words is a sheer demonstration of his in-depth understanding of how to coalesce writing and his skills in the law profession.

Kyle McAvoy, a fresh graduate from Law School at Yale is an idealistic associate. He has an auspicious career and he intends to work in public service for a span of the first two years in the wake of his graduation. His plan comes to a grinding halt and takes an unexpected twist when he is faced with blackmail that threatens to shutter his entire life and career. Bennie Wright a private investigator shows him a video footage of Kyle witnessing the raping of Elaine by his two fraternity brothers in his college apartment. Since he had kept mum on the issue, the legal implications included indictment hence incarceration. His way out of this quagmire was to unwillingly work for a Scully & Pershing-prestigious law firm in Wall Street in lieu of working in his father’s law firm situated in York, Pennsylvania. The company coerces him to engage in espionage activities that entail illegal acquisition of litigation information concerning two aerospace companies: Trylon and Bartin Dynamics. Kyle is in the middle of a volatile situation that involves perpetration of criminal acts under the supervision of criminals and an FBI investigation on the issue following a leak. He is caught between a rock and a hard place and he is compelled to do what it takes to save his career that has just started. Other notable characters include Tate Baxter junkie but a rich kid. He is the most culpable rapist to Dale. She is a former arithmetic teacher who is now a cubicle-mate with Kyle at the workplace.

It is evident from the plot of the story that the author was gravitating to exposing the malpractices and underhand tricks employed by colossal corporate law firms. Grisham was also bent on illuminating on the plight of first-year associates muddling through the miasma of the slavery of corporate law firms they are subjected to. He demonstrates how avaricious these firms are and the inherent banality of inhumanity they exude. These strong messages are subtly and craftily delivered. He exposes in a how billing of the clientele is given precedence over delivery of services to them. This can be exemplified when a client was made to foot the bill for a lavish lunch arranged by Kyles boss. To add insult to injury, the client was made to pay eight hundred dollars for ever hour of the two hours he spent with the law firm’s boss lunching. In the same vein, the individuals in the lowest rungs of the legal profession in such firms (first-years) are made to work over 100 years a week (Grisham, 158).

It comes as a surprise that the novel that one wished it never ended has to end albeit without a solution. However, the author accomplishes his goal of inform readers on the banality of corruption and impunity that is rife in corporate law firms This is after Kyle comes to his senses and discloses the underhand tricks to the FBI. Despite having the evidence the convoluted and intricate complexity of the saga does not substantiate the indictment of the culprits. This is an adeptly crafted methodology for the rendition of a message to the legal world. Grisham achieved what others superficially dismissed was a shallow development of character and a major hiccup in his literary work. The ramifications of his body of work are more than it meets the eye; it was holistically geared towards exposing the almost untouchable, insidious individuals pulling strings in corporate law. The harsh reality is demonstrated by how hapless the FBI seemed to by at the end of the story. They were unable to bring the wrongdoers to book. It is a fine piece of work worth reading. The unconventional way of the evil party going scot free is what makes it different from other novels since the author was exercising his freedom. It is a demonstration that he was not confined to people’s expectations and he thought outside the covers of previous novels. This demonstration of independence and ingenuity is more startling when the reader realizes that the message has been clearly delivered.