ISBN : 9781473684591
In English
Genre : legal thriller, 500 pages.
Published by Hodder & Stoughton, 2019.
The novel has its setting in the state of Mississippi and part of the Philippines Islands.
I think what triggers the reader’s intetest from the opening lines of the novel is the plan the character has already devised and his resolve to carry it out.
The novel begins with the awakening of the farmer Peter (Pete) who is obsessed with the execution of his plan, of which he believes he has measured all the consequences. Wrongly though.
The farm produces cotton which prices are fluctuating but sometimes profitable. Pete loves his land and treats black workers right. However, the result of so many years of effort to maintain the family legacy will be undone by an act of madness committed against the wrong person.
At the end of the novel, the author clears up the mystery of the murder of Reverend Dexter Bell committed in cold blood in the church by Peter Banning the farmer, the former soldier engaged in the war against the Japanese army in one of the islands of the Philippines during World War II. The reader is led to believe that the murder was the result of revenge.
Peter is a very curious character. His lawyer tried to persuade him to plead insanity, but he coldly refused. In the state of Mississippi, the assassination earned him the electric chair. “I have nothing to say,” he says when asked the reason for his act. It is true that he experienced atrocities committed by the enraged soldiers of the worst empire of the time, the Japanese Empire. The author describes at length the suffering and death in inhuman conditions inflicted on American soldiers, Filipinos and civilians by the ruthless Japanese army. This is what we learn in the third part of the novel.
Here is an excerpt, page 253, which summarizes the situation Here is an excerpt from the novel, page 253, which summarizes on the military scene.
By then, an American general estimated that only one soldier in ten could walk a hundred yards, raise his rifle, and shoot at the enemy. What had once been a fighting army of eighty thousand had been reduced to an effective fighting force of twenty-five hundred. Low on food, morale, ammo, and with no support from the skies or seas, the Americans and Filipinos battled on, throwing everything they had at the Japanese and inflicting horrendous casualties.
Peter discovered the infidelity of which he suspected his wife thanks to the services of a detective. He then decided to commit her to a mental institution. The physical and mental health of Liza, his wife, deteriorated as time goes by. This decision was made long after his trip to the Philippines to fight the Japanese to the Filipinos. But no one knew why he had taken his wife away. A greedy lawyer decides to file a lawsuit to defend the widow Jackie, the murdered pastor’s wife. He entrusted this defense to a formidable lawyer who won his case. Indeed, the widow became the owner of the farm (243 hectares) along with other assets transferred by father Pete Banning to his two children before committing the murder. Multiple appeals to the Courts of Appeal including the Supreme Court of the United States which all upheld the verdict obtained by the widow’s lawyers. The father, the war hero has ruined his children. He has wrecked their life. The new owner dismisses the domestic staff, made up mainly of blacks, some of whom were born on the farm. One day, Liza ran away and returned to the farm. Florry, Peter’s sister is shocked by this return which ends with Liza’s suicide. Before his execution, Peter visited Liza interned in the psychiatric hospital, confesses to her that he still loves her but who would never forgive her. The adultery was committed by Liza during Peter’s absence in the Philippines.
Si, as the informal American idiom, when it rains it pours.
En français
Genre : thriller juridique, 500 pages.
Publié par Hodder & Stoughton, 2019.
Les événements se déroulent dans l’Etat du Mississippi et une partie des îles philippines.
Je pense que ce qui suscite l’intérêt du lecteur des les premières lignes du roman est le plan que le personnage a déjà conçu et sa résolution à le mettre à exécution. Le roman commence par le réveil du fermier Peter (Pete) qui est obsédé par l’exécution de son plan dont il estime avoir mesuré toutes les conséquences. A tort cependant.
La ferme produit du coton dont les cours sont fluctuants mais parfois rémunérateurs. Pet aime ses terres et traite correctement les travailleurs noirs.
Le résultat de tant d’années d’efforts déployés pour maintenir l’héritage familial sera anéanti par un acte de folie commis contre la mauvaise personne.
À la fin du roman, l’auteur éclaircit le mystère de l’assassinat du pasteur Dexter Bell commis de sang froid dans l’église par Peter Banning le fermier, l’ancien soldat engagé dans la guerre contre l’armée japonaise dans l’une des îles des Philippines pendant la deuxième guerre mondiale. Le lecteur est amené à penser que le meurtre est le résultat de la vengeance.
Peter est un personnage très curieux . Son avocat a beau le persuader de plaider la folie, il a froidement refusé. Dans l’Etat du Mississippi, l’assassinat lui a valu la chaise électrique. “Je n’ai rien à dire” dit-il quand on lui demande le motif de son acte. Il est vrai qu’il a connu des atrocités commises par les soldats enragés du pire empire de l’époque, l’empire japonais. L’auteur décrit longuement les souffrances et la mort dans des conditions inhumaines infligés aux soldats américains, philippins et aux civiles par l’armée impitoyable japonaise. C’est ce que l’on apprend dans la troisième partie du roman.
Voici un extrait du roman, en anglais, page 253, qui résume la situation face à l’ennemi japonais.
By then, an American general estimated that only one soldier in ten could walk a hundred yards, raise his rifle, and shoot at the enemy. What had once been a fighting army of eighty thousand had been reduced to an effective fighting force of twenty-five hundred. Low on food, morale, ammo, and with no support from the skies or seas, the Americans and Filipinos battled on, throwing everything they had at the Japanese and inflicting horrendous casualties.
Peter a découvert l’infidélité dont il soupçonnait son épouse grâce aux services d’un détective. Il a alors décidé de l’interner dans un hôpital psychiatrique. La santé physique et mentale de Liza, sa femme, s’est détériorée au fil des jours. Cette décision a été prise bien longtemps son voyage aux Philippines pour combattre les Japonais aux côtés des Philippins. Mais personne ne savait pourquoi il avait éloigné sa femme.
Un avocat cupide a décidé d’intenter un procès pour défendre la veuve Jackie, la femme du pasteur assassiné. Il a confié cette défense à un avocat redoutable qui a obtenu gain de cause. En effet, la veuve est devenue propriétaire de la ferme (243 hectares) ainsi que d’autres actifs transférés par le père Pete Banning à ses deux enfants avant de commettre le meurtre. De multiples appels auprès des cours d’appel y compris auprès de la cour suprême des États-Unis qui ont toutes confirmé le verdict obtenu par les avocats de la veuve. Le père, le héro de la guerre a ruiné ses enfants. Il a détruit leur vie. Le nouveau propriétaire licencie le personnel domestique composé essentiellement de noirs dont certains sont nés dans la ferme. Un jour, Liza s’enfuit et regagne la ferme. Florry, la sœur de Peter est choquée par ce retour qui se termine par le suicide de Liza. Avant son exécution, Peter a rendu visite à Liza internée à l’hôpital psychiatrique, lui a avoué qu’il l’aime toujours mais qui ne lui pardonnerait jamais. L’adultère a été commis par Liza pendant l’absence de Peter aux Philippines.
Ainsi, selon l’expression idiomatique familière, un malheur ne vient jamais seul.
calamlike 