''The Broker'' is a
suspense novel written by American author
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Am ...
and published in the United States on January 11, 2005. The novel follows the story of Joel Backman, a newly pardoned prisoner who had tried to broker a deal to sell the world's most powerful
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
surveillance system to the highest bidder.
Plot
Joel Backman is "the Broker," considered to be one of the most powerful
lobbyist
In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
s in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
However, Backman's life falls apart when a deal collapses involving a hacked spy
satellite
A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioisotope ...
that nobody knows about, and he ends up in jail. Six years later, the political wheels have turned and other power-hungry men are eager for Backman's blood. Bargains are made, and after an outgoing disgraced
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
grants him a full
pardon
A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...
at the behest of the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...
, Backman finds himself spirited out of the prison in the middle of the night, bundled onto a military plane, and flown to Italy to begin a new life. He has a new name and mysterious new "friends" who teach him to speak the language and to blend in with the people in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
.
However, Backman soon realizes that something is not quite kosher in this new setup, in that he is under constant surveillance. In reality, the CIA is setting him up for professional
assassin
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or VIP, important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not ha ...
s from China, Israel, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other countries. They intend to sit back and wait to see who kills him in an effort to solve the biggest mystery to hit the US government in decades: the question of who built this seemingly impenetrable and most advanced satellite ever. It turns out to be China; despite having low satellite technology, they stole the information from the US.
Backman barely survives several assassination attempts and manages to establish communication with his son, Neal. He escapes surveillance and returns to his home to contract a new deal with the US government. The CIA is told about the satellite, along with the taking of the satellite's program. In return, they agree to do what they can to get the countries targeting him to back off, though they caution him that some of them will not listen. Backman then covers his escape by pretending that he is resuming his old life, then quietly disappears and presumably returns to Italy.
Literary significance and criticism
''The Broker'' made number one on the
New York Times bestseller list
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
.
The book has been hailed by some critics as a return to form for Grisham, while others lament it as a superficial "trip to Italy" put into fiction form. A ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' book review claimed that the description of an outgoing president who was "an idiot... but a clean one" seemed to be referring to
President Bush, or perhaps to
Bill Clinton's infamous last-minute presidential pardons in 2001.
The description of the town of Bologna, Italy, in the novel is quite accurate; however, it contains a few mistakes. For instance:
* The church dedicated to Saint Petronius is called "cathedral", but although it is the largest church in town, it has never been the
Cathedral of Bologna
Bologna Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale Metropolitana di San Pietro, ''Cattedrale di Bologna''), dedicated to Saint Peter, is the cathedral of Bologna in Italy, and the seat and the metropolitan cathedral of the Archbishop of Bologna. Most of the pres ...
, as the author himself states elsewhere in the same book.
* It is explained that Bologna is nicknamed "the Red city" because it is the most deeply communist town in Italy. Actually, Bologna was nicknamed "la Rossa" ("the Red one") centuries before Marx was born, the word "communism" was invented, or the colour red was even associated with a political ideology. This nickname is because most old buildings in the town centre are red, since the earth of the local hills, when baked to make bricks, acquires this colour.
* One of the Italian teachers of the main character states that only two medieval towers are still standing in Bologna and that all the others were demolished by order of the local authorities in the nineteenth century. In reality,
numerous medieval towers are still standing in Bologna. Some of them are clearly visible from the places the main character visits, like Piazza Maggiore or the top of the Asinelli Tower. After the municipality had three towers demolished in 1917 to build new palaces, the decision was harshly criticised by some famous people of that time.
* Another error lies in the orbital mechanics of the secret satellite system. The satellites are described as having an over-ground speed of 120 miles per hour, but are only 300 miles above the Earth's surface; this is physically impossible for low-orbit satellites, which need an over-ground speed of over 16,000 miles per hour (and an orbital speed of about 17,000 miles per hour) to maintain orbit.
Additional errors include a scene where a character suggests that he be sent any medical bills for an injury sustained; in Italy there is a comprehensive state healthcare system and so this would not be relevant. In a later scene, a CIA agent travels on an Alitalia flight to Washington in economy class and has to pay for drinks; Alitalia long haul services include all drinks.
References
External links
Grisham's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broker, The
2005 American novels
Novels by John Grisham
American thriller novels
Doubleday (publisher) books