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Summary Of Defending Jacob By William Landay

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The book I chose to read for this assignment was Defending Jacob by William Landay. This is murder-mystery legal thriller that follows the point of view of a former Assistant District Attorney after a 14-year-old in his town was killed, and his son was put on trial. The entire novel is told within the context of the man, Andy Barber, testifying as a witness in a murder trial. Although, it is intentionally ambiguous whether the trial he is discussing and the trial he is a part of are the same. Andrew aka “Andy Barber” was the Assistant District Attorney and a prominent figure in the community of Newton, Massachusetts. On April 12th, 2007, Andy was given the case of 14-year-old Ben Rifkin, who had been murdered while walking to school. Ben was …show more content…

Jacob has arrested, and his parents begin working with Defense Lawyer Johnathan Klein in an attempt to build a case for Jacob’s innocence. Although they make bail and Jacob can return home while awaiting his trial, their lives have been turned upside-down by the “stain of a murder accusation”. They are social outcasts, and details continue to arise that make it difficult for the Barber’s to not question their own son’s innocence. Throughout this section, Landay’s character descriptions center primarily on the emotional toll experienced by the family.
Part three revolves around the trial proceedings. During this portion, Landay switches his focus to descriptions of physical aspects of the characters, and how the trial aged them. At this point in the book, you learn more about Andy and Laurie’s relationship, and Laurie as a character. Up to this point, despite being one of the primary players in the events, Laurie remained a somewhat trifling character. At the end of part three, the trial is concluded, and through a series of twists and turns in the plot, Jacob walks free.
Part four summarizes the events that occurred after the trial. Although it appears things are beginning to look up for the Barber’s and their story is ending, Landay introduces a number of surprises, and diverts the outcome so the reader doesn’t see it coming, and by the last page, the trial Andy is taking part in is finally

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