4.5 stars

n  How could Adam ever reconcile the past with the present? How could he fairly judge these people and their horrible deed when, but for a quirk of fate, he would have been right there in the middle of them had he been born forty years earlier?...If Sam was lynching at such an early age, what could be expected of him as an adult?...How in God's world could Sam Cayhall have become anything other than himself? He never had a chance.n

This is my first John Grisham novel, purchased for a dollar at a local consignment shop. It's the story of a young attorney who decides he wants to represent a grandfather he only recently learned he had and who is on death row for his part in a KKK killing decades earlier. Although the grandfather was only an accomplice in the crime he was convicted of, it turns out that he had participated in several other murders, adding a layer of complexity to the story.

In many ways, this reads like southern Gothic fiction, which I generally enjoy so it's no surprise that I liked this as much as I did.

In addition to exploring racism in the south, Grisham tackles the morality of the death penalty and also seems to be delving into the topic of "free will." For those reasons alone, I thought this was a compelling read.

The argument made against the death penalty is a familiar one, that state condoned killing is cruel and immoral and doesn't really solve anything. Interestingly, I'm reading one of his earlier books called A Time to Kill where he makes a moral argument in favor of a father charged with killing two men who brutally raped and beat (almost to death) his ten-year old daughter.

Both arguments, while seemingly at odds with each other, are strong and thought provoking.

The two criticisms that seemed to appear in many of the less enthusiastic reviews I read are 1. This is much different than his other books and 2. It was way, way too long. This being my only Grisham book, I can't speak to the first complaint. I do feel as if the book was long, maybe longer than it had to be. Yet on the flip side, I think the pacing of the book and its length mirror the death row process. So in that sense, it almost seems appropriate.

GR friends that have read this seem underwhelmed. Most awarding only 3 stars. But I liked it. Really liked it. Grisham is a phenomenal writer.

Interesante, entretenido, pero también complicado y lento.

The Chamber was based on a man fighting on Death Row for the murder of an African American boy and blowing up a shop with a Jewish family.He soon realizes he has a nephew Adam, in Law to help him exonerate him from the heinous crimes.It is a compelling story and it shows the realization of how back in the day when they had signs posted that African Americans and Caucasians were not allowed to ride the same buses together and interracial relationships were forbidden.It truly is deep, touching and sickening at times! Sometimes you feel for the character and sometimes you hate them.It is based on Sam CaHall Story. A must read.

As usual, enthralling.

Well... That was awful!


I think I finally found a Grisham book I hate. I mean they're all the same book but I still enjoyed them. This one however I'm dropping. A first with this author.


Plot:-

Sam is active with the KKK and has done some shit, murder included but hey they were black guys, their lives don't count. The thing that got him was blowing up a Jewish lawyer's firm, killing his two kids and costing him his legs.

Because the trial stretched over three decades Sam is now a old 70 year old man looking at the death penalty and soon. Can his grandson save him from this fate! Nobody deserves this!


This book REALLY pushes the anti-death penalty message down your throat. The trouble is every character that is against the gas chamber is the most annoying kind of person you can encounter in fiction.

Adam the grandson. Doesn't talk but rather snaps at people. Try talking to your superior like this

The Boss "You withheld vital information regarding your background. Why didn't you inform us that you were related to one of our clients! This might be considered a conflict of interest."

Adam "You didn't ask."


Try that in Real life and lets see how long you get to keep that job. Adam's entire dialogue tree is like this. It's snappish and something you'd expect an emo teen to say. Oh you're asking how I am NOW? How dare you! You didn't ask before so let me needle at obvious wounds until I make you cry aunt who lives in another part of the county and was estranged by my father and mother so discouraged from visiting.


You also have hipster lawyer, because ofcourse you do. Charity do-gooder lawyer and ... you know what you get the picture. It's either Stereotypes or the worst kind of people out there.


And here is where I have a problem with this book. Sam is drawn as the worst of the worst. He's a KKK member and proud of it. He still thinks what he did was ok because the victim and the kids were Jewish. The firm defending him is doing it as a charity and yet he took great pains to fire them because (this is the worst part) the firm is Jewish, hires women and has "African Americans" on the payroll...


There is nothing, NOTHING redeemable about this character. Yet the book wants you to feel sorry for him because monsters are humans too and the death penalty is nothing but legalized murder.


Ok, there is a reason that lawyers try to make Lambs out of wolves. If you want sympathy for your cause maybe not make that cause irredeemable from page one!


The book's argument is that we are too civilized for the gas chamber. I'd argue that if they had chopped his head off immediately rather than drag this out for 30 years it would have been better for everyone including the family where the next generation must face the shame anew.


I generally don't mind the liberal message and soapboxing in Grisham's books. I do mind annoying characters, poor dialogue and a plot designed to force one point of view. There isn't even a straw man argument. It's just Death Penalty is wrong regardless of crime. The end!


It doesn't even matter if you agree with this message or not. The book sorta pushes you to the other side due to sheer aggressiveness. Skip it!

This is one of John 'S best deep hard political crime Thriller books of this century it's biggest point is the death penalty because of it whole story is a flash back.
I am against the death penalty because in America it is disgusting that any person even if are filth that should not be keeped on death row for 20ys.
This brilliant book all about waiting to die.My mother would not read it she said it was to upsetting. but that's why I recommend it so see both sides.
The Chamber was in my thoughts today the 20th August 19 because of murder of that police officer once again the hole point of this book one sentence 'Hang them high'

Man on Death Row, young lawyer steps in. He's the grandson of the soon-to-be-executed man. And there are SO many secrets that you just have to read it to know them all.

Wonderful book, mostly about the death sentence. However, it was WAY too long. Still rates 5 stars from me though. Loved it.

Thought provoking. Delightfully bleak and melancholy. The build up teases before giving you an ending you should have expected, but didn't.

To put it mildly this was not my favorite John Grisham novel. I suppose it’s the bleak subject matter: death row, racism, alcoholism, the KKK, etc. Certainly not uplifting subjects but I’ve read novels before dealing with these sorts of topics and not come away with the same sick feeling in my gut.

The novel has several structural problems which lower it on my Grisham rankings. First of all it felt bloated. This is a novel in need of some significant trimming in the same way some of Stephen King’s novels do. Clearly the author, as well as the main characters, is 100% against the death penalty but beating me over the head with that doesn’t serve any purpose. There was also a plot thread that tried to deal with alcoholism that seemed out-of-place and didn’t really serve the overall story. The build-up of whether or not the young lawyer could successfully overturn the upcoming execution didn’t work well because to me at least, the ending was inevitable and telegraphed from near the beginning.

What the novel does do is hammer home the idea that lawyers will do anything necessary for their client including hiring expert witnesses to lie in order to aid their cases. The endless appeals for death row inmates are known to all but here it cements the notion that it is all a big waste of time, energy, and tax payer’s money and in fact leads only to tortuous impacts on the accused. The “will there or won’t there” be a stay of execution is shown to be pure torture and leaves our criminal protagonist with nothing but a desire to stop the insanity and just get it over with. I was left with a feeling of disgust with our legal system and little sympathy for the lawyers in the novel. One theme seems to be that it’s not only ethical, but absolutely necessary to commit “lesser” sins if it means correcting a “greater” sin (the death penalty) based merely on the opinion of the lawyer, not the law itself.

Ugh.

Never have i cried for literature in any medium than i did with this book. I hated Sam for keeping his secret up to his grave. I hated the fact that i was so deeply touched with this book. That now death penalty made sense to me! Up to the last few pages i expected a miracle, but then it didn't came. I cried with Adam and Lee and the rest who did not believe in death penalty. Im not a fan of Grisham after reading The Pelican Brief or was it Runaway Jury (although I liked The Client) but because the only book available at that time in our room is The Chamber, I picked it up even though it was by Grisham. And no regrets. Now I'm wondering if I could still find another book that will make me sob?

John Grisham's books fall into two different categories. He has his lighthearted thrillers like "The Brethren" and "The Rooster Bar", and then he has his more serious ones like the "Jake Brigance" series. This definitely falls into the latter categories, as this book is serious, heavy, and bleak!

This book is all about the death penalty. A murderous man is on death row, and seemingly has no hope to survive. However, a young man with a surprising connection to the old man volunteers to be his lawyer and does everything in his power to save him.

This book never really has the lighthearted humor and action that most of his other books have. Even the Jake Brigance books seem to have some light hearted moments. Instead, this whole story is bleak, and it feels like the word "dread" would fit perfectly with this book. You almost instantly know hoiw this story will end, and yet you really want to see if there will be a change of outcome. It actually is very effective, because you start to feel for the characters involve and start to hope that there is still a chance at survival.

Grisham does his level best to make the man on death row terrible though. I mean, if ever a man deserved to be on death row, it is this man, and I think that Grisham does a terrific job of making the audience hate him and also pity him.

This book definitely has the deeper themes, and will make you question your stance on the death penalty. In fact, I think it is so well written that regardless of your stance on the death penalty you will find this book riveting, because Grisham does such a good job of presenting both sides.

I did find the book a little bloated at times, and wonder what could have been cut.

Overall, this is a terrific book that really nails the assignment of dealing with the death penalty. And I felt so emotional reading the book. 9.0 out of 10.

Another well written book by Mr Grisham, but just didn’t grip me at the time. I remember it took me a while to read.