Leth reviewed The Final Case by David Guterson
Rote, too much faith in legal narratives
2 stars
The characters and their dialog are all well realized and distinct. The emotion underlying the story really comes through, especially when the siblings of the dead child testify.
But at its heart, it's just kind of a straightforward trial story about someone who fervently believes in the capacity of the system to produce justice. Not really my bag.
Sometimes, I say to myself that I should read more contemporary fiction, but I don't really find this era to be a good setting. Modernist universalism means this story is somewhat generic. It could have happened anywhere, anywhen. But it happened here. I guess.
Borrowed from the massive stack of books in Deborah Ahren's office, lol.
