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PeoPle & Arts Monday 30 october 2017
John Grisham explores student

loan debt in latest novel

By JEFF AYERS New York hedge fund that their way into taking on cli-
Associated Press also owns the banks that ents who pay cash for their
John Grisham explores stu- finance the student loans. services. They have to stay
dent loan debt and the It’s a gigantic scheme and one step ahead of the au-
sharks that profit from it in the scam is generating mil- thorities so they aren’t dis-
his latest novel, “The Roost- lions of dollars. covered, and by quitting
er Bar.” Gordy snaps and commits school, they can work on
Mark, Todd, Zola and Gordy suicide rather than face exposing the scam and try
are students at a mediocre the problems associated to save people from crush-
law school that doesn’t with what he learned. His ing debt.
produce many successful three friends decide to Grisham knows how to tell
lawyers. Most fail the bar fight back, and rather than a story, and he also enjoys
exam, and even more find succumb to the payment showcasing the shady side
menial jobs at best. Gordy schedules and graduate of the law profession. Mark,
uncovers a sinister truth to less-than-stellar posi- Todd and Zola are hard
about the university when tions in various agencies, to like at times due to the
he learns that the students they change their names methods they utilize as they
aren’t accepted based on and create their own ficti- try to defeat the system.
grades, but rather to sup- tious law firm. Soon they are Their motives are sound, but
ply money. The school is hanging out at the court- it sometimes comes with
one of several owned by a house and sweet-talking a cost as they end up not
really helping the clients af-
ter they take the cash and
supposedly the court case.
Even with that in mind,
readers will still make this
another blockbuster best-
seller from the master of the This cover image released by Doubleday shows “The Rooster
legal thriller.q Bar,” by John Grisham.
Associated Press