Sooley by John Grisham is a well written novel about a South Sudanese family with two plot lines that head in totally separate ways. One decision is highly sought after and accepted by all, and the other is forced upon them by tragic conditions. The two plots spin around the truth of how difficult it is to get away from this war torn country. John Grisham has woven these two story lines into an intricate and involving story addressing the bad and the good in this world. Results are not always what we expect and collateral damage is continually lurking in the shadows. No good thing comes without effort but you must be cautious with whichever way you decide to take.
17 year old Samuel Sooleyman, is a South Sudanese basketball player. He was picked for an international travel group heading to the USA. He is a good player however is a long way from being NBA ready. Early in the competition, Sooley’s home town is attacked and destroyed by rebels. His family runs for their lives, not all successfully. After this incidence, the story split among Sooley and his family in an Ugandan refugee camp. The transitions are simple as is the greater part of the reading for this novel.
Sooley is in normal Grisham style, there are 62 short chapters. The characters are completely fleshed out and we will feel and ponder along with them. For the individuals who love basketball, you’ll be in a small paradise. In case you are not all that fascinated, skim away or trudge through; it is not excessively technical. Regardless your status, the game scenes are interesting. There is significantly more to this story than basketball. As far as I might be concerned, I was struck by the loss of home for Sooley. It was multiplied by his loss of family and over-riding need to help them, in any case possible. He didn’t have anything, received a blessing, worked tirelessly, gained progress and through everything kept his family and confidence in center. He is a motivating character.
Portions of the story dragged and were excessively drawn out. The early school-days were repetitive and the couple of plot focuses required from those pages might have been utilized all the more compactly and saved 30-40 pages. The rest of the human interest side of Grisham who gives us a non-partisan look at a migration story. There a couple of delicate expletives and violence related with the conflict in Sudan. It is not graphic but rather it is rough. Included rape and assault, murder of relatives and kids. Scenes at the refugee camp include starvation, lack of hydration, human waste, stealing and vanished individuals.
Not only entertaining, Sooley by John Grisham is a thinker. Grisham’s very much developed characters and detailed storyline are so perfect it’s difficult to think this is a fictional story. Clear story details and portrayals are well-researched. It gives life to the story making it appear like it was taken from a sports magazine or News magazine. It is a novel that could easily be a contemporary biography and it is certainly worth the time.
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