Book Review - The Broker by John Grisham

Why I chose this book

I was browsing through some books in Times bookshop when I came across this book. After reading the back cover, I realised that this book is a face-paced adventure full of action, which was exactly what I wanted to read at that time.

Plot summary

Joel Backman was an extremely rich and successful power broker who led a luxurious and promiscuous life (6 wives and many more affairs) and had an empire to his name. However, after his greed to attempt to sell the technology to control a powerful unknown spy satellite (JAM) to the Saudis and Isralis, he landed himself in jail when the deal fell through and the US authorities came to know about his illegal actions.

6 years later, he was suddenly granted a controversial last-minute pardon by the outgoing president, with the government stating decent behaviour. He was smuggled out of the country in a military cargo plane, given a new name, Marco, a new identity, and a new home to stay in Bologna, Italy. The government ensured that he fitted in perfectly by learning the language well with the help of government agents in Italy, by employing Ermanno and Francesca (Joel's later love interest and helper in his escape), 2 locals in Bologna.

However, behind the seemingly innocent plan to live in another country due to security purposes, Teddy Maynard, director of the CIA, has hatched an elaborate plan to set Joel Backman up by 'leaking' Joel Backman's coordinates anonymously to the Chinese, Russians, Saudis, and Israelis who were suspected of creating the spy satellite. The actual job of the government agents helping Joel were to observe who would be sending assassins in first to kill Joel. That would reveal the creator of the spy satellite once oand for all.

Joel manages to discover what he has gotten himself into and quickly escaped. With the help of his son, Neal Backman, Joel got himself some money, a new phone and a new outfit to elude the US agents in Italy. From there, we proceeded to Zurich, where he kept his most prized possession: the JAM software, used to hack into the unknown spy satellite and the software that landed him in jail, and a huge sum of money.

He later returned to the US using  without being detected, with the help of Francesca, of course, using her husband's passport. He made contact with several of his old acquaintances: his business associate and a senator whom he personally knows to hand the JAM software to the Pentagon, in turn asking for protection from the Saudis, Israelis, Russians and the Red Chinese. He creates a distraction by calling for a media interview, and while the assassins of all countries remain confused, Backman returns to Bologna, promising to keep in touch with Neal more often. It is also implied that he spends the rest of his life with Francesca.

Character Analysis of Joel Backman


Joel Backman is like a bad guy turned good. At first, with so much of wealth in his hands, he thought that he could get away with anything with the mere influence over the US government. He had been pampered by his own empire he had made, yet was still hungry for more fame, power and influence. He had completely ignored and did not pay much attention to his son, Neal Backman, and his 6 wives. After he had come out of jail, Joel had been humbled, and realised the importance of family, thus treasured Neal all the more, especially when Neal had been helping him to escape from the US agents. He had finally found his real love, Francesca. By abandoning his former life in the US to lead a more simple life in Bologna with Francesca, it shows that Joel Backman had repented and turned over a new leaf, letting go of his greed for power.

My opinion on the book and Recommendation

I believe that this John Grisham has done a great job in writing this book. It has taught me this lesson that, even if you have so much of power in your hands, you need to be mindful of your actions all the more, and it would be much satisfying if you learn to appreciate life more compared to treating life as a race for power. With so much of heart-stopping adventure throughout the whole story, it is a book worth reading over and over again. Besides, there is a wide range of vocabulary to learn in this book!