"Innocent" by Scott Turow: the first reviews look good
Most authors of blockbuster books face heightened expectations when they come up with a sequel. But not many face it at the level that Scott Turow is seeing with the release of 鈥淚nnocent,鈥� a sequel to 1987鈥檚 鈥淧resumed Innocent.鈥�
Turow didn鈥檛 just write a book with 鈥淧resumed Innocent,鈥� he was credited with the popularity of an entire genre. The said he propelled legal thrillers to the top of the bestseller list, 鈥減aving the way for successors such as John Grisham.鈥� The book sold 4 million copies. Turow, who is still a practicing lawyer as well as author, said the story of main character Rusty Sabich was over 鈥� but more than 20 years later, he changed his mind.
"When you write books, something grabs at you, and it's often years later that you understand what it is you're trying to do, and what it is that's moving you," he told the L.A. Times. "For whatever reason, it felt like I just needed to check back in with this guy."
Early reviews suggest that readers are lucky he did.
The called 鈥淚nnocent鈥� an 鈥渋ntelligent, thoughtful novel: a grownup book for grownup readers.鈥� The finds the first few chapters implausible, but otherwise says fans of the first book will not be disappointed. praised it as going beyond genre, saying 鈥渋n the jaded world of best-selling authors, Turow has always seemed refreshingly uncynical. He's not just cranking out formulaic moneymakers. Tracing Rusty鈥檚 path allows Turow to explore serious issues including aging, marriage, raising children and death.鈥�
Have any other authors faced comparable expectations when returning to game-changing characters? The sequel to 鈥�Gone with the Wind鈥� took more than a half century, but Margaret Mitchell didn鈥檛 write it, which nullifies its significance in my mind. No one faced anticipation like J.K. Rowling, but she got her sequels done within years, not decades.
What are your candidates? And, 23 years later, do you still want to hear more about Rusty Sabich?
Rebekah Denn blogs at .
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