Content Warning: The section of the guide discusses alcoholism, suicide, and racism against Indigenous people. It quotes Grisham’s use of the term “Indian” when referring to Indigenous people.

“The money is the root of my misery.”

The above statement by Troy Phelan in Chapter 1 follows a long list of his many financial achievements and assets. The contrast between financial success and emotional distress sets the tone of the novel. It announces that the novel will explore the corrupting effects of pursuing money.

“They are vultures circling with clawed feet, sharp teeth, and hungry eyes, giddy with the anticipation of unlimited cash.”

Phelan is describing his family members, who are waiting for him to die with the hope of inheriting his money. The metaphor of predatory animals foreshadows a theme of the novel: the Interconnection of Existential and Physical Dangers. Predators in the Pantanal threaten Nate’s life. Here, the implication is that Phelan’s greedy family members threaten Phelan’s humanity—his capacity to feel empathy and connection—causing him to feel miserable and isolated.

“Troy Phelan’s descent did not reach the level of high drama he had dreamed of. Instead of drifting to earth like an angel, a perfect swan dive with the silk robe trailing behind, and landing in death before his terror-stricken families, who he’d imagined would be leaving the building at just the right moment, his fall was witnessed only by a lowly payroll clerk, hustling through the parking lot after a very long lunch in the bar.”

Several times in the novel, Phelan’s lawyers, Josh and Durban, note that Phelan is controlling events from beyond the grave to ensure that his family does not get his money. Yet in the end, Phelan’s family members do end up with a sizeable inheritance from his estate. The bathos in the above passage anticipates this outcome.