I have tried reading several John Grisham's books before, but I always ended up quitting half way through. So this is the first ever John Grisham's book that I have finished reading. And it is also the last book I read in 2010.
As contrast to his usual work, A Painted House is nothing about law or courtroom dramas or criminal justice. In fact, it is about the Chandler family who lived in rural Arkansas. The story is told through the eyes of Luke Chandler, a seven year-old boy.
The story started off with Luke and his grandfather, to whom he referred to as Pappy looking to hire hill people to work in their cotton field. With the cotton waiting to be picked, they were desperate for help in the fields. They eventually got the Spruill family and ten Mexicans who would be living with them until the harvest was over.
I must admit, I really enjoyed reading this book, mainly because it portrays the thoughts of a seven year-old on what was happening around him, some of his fears and dreams as well. Luke dreamed of a life away from the fields and a baseball career. He wondered why anyone would want to be a farmer as they barely made money with the debts and all. Like everyone else, Luke had to pick cotton before sunrise till evening not because he wanted to but he was forced to, although he was getting paid for his hard work and the money was needed to purchase the Cardinal jacket he dreamed of. While working through the stalks of cotton, he had to worry about the snakes which he feared so much of.
Upon the arrival of the migrant workers, dramas and secrets started to come into play. Luke getting picked on by Hank. Luke developing a crush on Tally. Luke discovering the romance between Tally and Cowboy. Luke seeing the fight between Hank and the Sisco brothers where he had no choice but to become the witness when Jerry Sisco was dead. Luke sneaking out with Tally to watch Libby Latcher in labor, later only to discover that his uncle, Ricky who was fighting in the Korean War was believed to have impregnated that girl. Luke getting beaten up by the Latcher brothers. Luke once again witnessing the death of another man - Hank who was murdered by Cowboy. Luke subsequently getting threatened by Cowboy to kill his mother if he didn't keep the secret. And many more.
Most of the time, Luke was struggled emotionally, whether to tell the adults the secrets he knew or suffer alone. When he was interrogated about the death of Jerry Sisco by Chief Stick, he was in dilemma whether to tell the truth or lie. Since the Chandler family was dependent on migrant workers on field hands, Luke was very much aware that they couldn't afford to lose them. Therefore he always weighed the situation before he did something. After all, being left short-handed also meant Luke had to pick more cottons, something a seven year-old was dread of. With no siblings to talk and play with (although it is later revealed that his mother was pregnant), Luke was desperately hoping for the return of his uncle. As a seven year-old, he could never understand why the adults had to always keep him away from any controversy. Also, he was confused with religion, especially with the worship and all the preaching Brother Akers gave. He thought it was ridiculous that his grandmother had invented the sin of taking food from the less fortunate when he was found of taking the Mexicans' tortilla. " As Baptists, we were never short on sins to haunt us."
With the men worrying and fretting about the weather and cotton prices, another character that I liked a lot is Luke's mother. Being born as a city girl, she was determined to flee the farm life, have a house in a town/ city with indoor plumbing. She also made sure that she brainwashed Luke into not staying on the farm. She got her dream when heavy downpours started to hit Black Oak and the Chandler's fields were flooded. The Spruills left after their daughter, Tally was running off with a Mexican, Cowboy. The Mexicans were dismissed to other farms where they were still needed. Because of the bad weather and the crop failure, Luke and his parents had to move North to find job to help erasing the debts. Before their departure, Luke with the help of the Mexicans had finished painting their house. The work was initially started by Trot after Luke was made fun of by Hank for living in an unpainted house on rented land. Despite feeling sad about the departure and leaving behind his grandparents living with the Latchers knowing that they would never return, Luke was looking forward to his new life - attend better school, go to new church, make new friends etc
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