We, the Jury
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3.3 • 46 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
On the day before his twenty-first wedding anniversary, David Sullinger buried an ax in his wife’s skull. Now, eight jurors must retire to the deliberation room and decide whether David committed premeditated murder—or whether he was a battered spouse who killed his wife in self-defense.
Told from the perspective of over a dozen participants in a murder trial, We, the Jury examines how public perception can mask the ghastliest nightmares. As the jurors stagger toward a verdict, they must sift through contradictory testimony from the Sullingers’ children, who disagree on which parent was Satan; sort out conflicting allegations of severe physical abuse, adultery, and incest; and overcome personal animosities and biases that threaten a fair and just verdict. Ultimately, the central figures in We, the Jury must navigate the blurred boundaries between bias and objectivity, fiction and truth.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The execution of this novel from Rotstein (The Bomb Maker's Son) falls short of its high concept a trial told from the viewpoints of some two dozen characters. Held in Sepulveda County Superior Court, David Sullinger's trial for murdering his wife, Amanda, has just wrapped up, and everyone thinks his self-defense claims will win the day. But from the moment the judge Natalie Quinn-Gilbert, a still-grieving widow accidentally gives the jury incorrect instructions, things start taking interesting turns. The various jurors, identified only by their professions, give their thoughts on occurrences as the deliberation unfolds, as do the judge, her staff, the lawyers, and a blogger covering the case. Unfortunately, most of the characters speak in similar tones and are prone to making glib statements ("I have a flexible moral compass when it comes to lying," the blogger says). The key question of whether Amanda abused David gets lost amid the welter of voices and the author's stylistic tricks.)
Customer Reviews
Meh
Interesting read but slow and devoid of surprise and suspense.