We are unfortunately forced to learn too much about Woods' left-leaning politics however. His characterization about republicans and conservatives as described by the senatorial candidate Calhoun is grossly unfair. Depicting Calhoun (the republican candidate) as a KKK-sympathizing fundamentalist religious hypocrite borders on Michael Moore type propaganda. In the novel, Will Lee's campain speach before his rival's church congregation sounds like a replay of a Ted Kennedy tyrade. This story in this novel tends to follow that of the 1986 senate election of Wyche Fowler in Georgia - a career politician who served one term in the senate. The political climate is the same - democrats ruled the roost.
Despite that this novel preceded the Grisham successes, Woods could learn from Grisham's lack of bias and overt political declarations. Grisham's political candidates are rarely identified with parties and his true political leanings are seldom revealed. With Woods, nothing is left to the imagination.
