I’m working through a series of book reviews found in my college journal from 20 years ago, long before this blog was a twinkle in my eye. This novel by John Grisham stands out in my memory, because I distinctly remember my dad telling me one time in high school that if he ever wrote a book, it would be titled A Painted House. So when I saw this on the book shelves, I was shocked. And then when college buds started recommending it to me, well, I had to give it a shot.
Although I had already been dabbling in some of Grisham’s earlier novels (and loving it), A Painted House was the first novel of his that I read because of the recommendations. Friends and family who’d read it emphasized that it wasn’t Grisham’s normal fare—rather than being a court-based thrillers, it was much slower, much more human book well worth a read. To be honest, if that’s how someone described it to me today, it’d be a hard “Pass.” But I was an emotional early-twenty-something still trying to figure out what I loved, so those recommendations drew me in. Ah, to be sensitive again!
From the first few pages, I sense The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck. The southern Depression-era feel was palpable—even though this story is set in the 1950s not the ’20s. Grisham’s characters, the violence, and the flood do seem to channel John Steinbeck at times. In fact, I highlighted the similarities in my notes and wondered aloud whether Grisham might might fenagle a way to end the novel with an old man feeding off a young woman’s breast, a la The Grapes of Wrath. Thankfully, he didn’t.
The plot follows a boy who colors his ordinary and otherwise boring life with special secrets (like murders, innocent love, and a naked girl). Grisham being a grown man, the writing doesn’t at all feel like it comes from the brain of a 7-year-old. I’d give him grace if it were supposed recollections from someone far older, but then we have to deal with the themes and dialogue.
I was honestly distracted from the story when the kid would say or do things far beyond his age or personality. Take for example the scene where he plays a trick on his cousin’s “Yankee” wife while she’s in the outhouse—that whole scene seemed out of place, out of character, and wholly unnecessary.
Grisham does people the book with plenty of unique characters. I especially enjoyed the man who paved the road, for the whole persona and episode seemed like a true-life flashback for Grisham—though the monkey and all made it seem obviously embellished.
Overall, A Painted House was a good story, though I would far rather re-read The Grapes of Wrath before picking this book up again. Grisham’s offering isn’t a modern classic, but it’s a good story for whenever you need an escape.
©2025 E.T.
Read More from John Grisham:
- The Rainmaker (1995)
- The Street Lawyer (1998)
- Skipping Christmas (2001)
- A Painted House (2001)
- The Summons (2002)
- The Broker (2005)
- Playing for Pizza (2007)
- Gray Mountain (2015)
- Camino Island (2017)
- The Rooster Bar (2017)