Defending Jacob by William Landay

Emily H | Marlboro High School, Grade 11

Rating: ***

Andy Barber is the top defense attorney in his small town in Massachusetts. When fourteen year old Ben Rifkin is murdered, Andy is shoo-in to take the case. However, his own son, Jacob is accused of possessing a knife and committing the murder. He’s forced to resign and instead fights alongside Jacob’s lawyer. The family experiences a brutal few months during the trial to the point that Jacob’s own parents start to question his innocence. Will Jacob be sentenced to a life in prison, or will he live a semi-normal rest of his life?

I enjoyed this book, but I had a few issues with the story. From the start of the trial, the prosecution is so intent on declaring Jacob guilty when there was so little evidence that directly ties him to the murder. They are clearly biased and cannot give Jacob a fair trial.

Additionally, Jacob’s dad is the narrator. He is extremely unreliable because everything he says and does is to protect Jacob. It’s impossible to uncover the truth about the murder from his perspective. However, I was completely invested in this book and finished it within two days. I was dying to know the jury’s decision because by the middle I really had no idea which way this was going to go. The ending of the novel was particularly interesting because of the twists that made me question every single thing that had happened so far. Unfortunately it was too vague and left with me many unanswered questions. Still, I would recommend this book because it’s a thrilling trial.