The Testament
Encyclopedia
The Testament is a legal thriller by American author John Grisham
. It was published in hardcover by Doubleday on February 2, 1999.
minutes after leaving his vast fortune to an illegitimate
daughter, Rachel Lane, instead of his six children by three marriages. His reason is revulsion over years of fighting with, and embarrassment from, his family, as well as their greed — much of which was due to his neglect of his children and multiple affairs (both personal and business).
His lawyers are now tasked with protecting Troy's wishes as well as finding the heiress. Nate O'Riley, a high-powered litigation lawyer and now recovering alcoholic
, is sent to Brazil
, where Rachel is believed to be living as a missionary
.
While Nate is trying to find Rachel, Troy's family does everything in their power to contest the new will
. They argue that although Troy was examined by three of the top psychiatrists in the nation, he was lacking sanity at the time of the new will.
The journey into the Pantanal
of South America
by way of Corumbá
nearly kills Nate, but finally he and his guide locate the tribe with which Rachel Lane is living. She refuses the legacy or anything connected with it. Nate is unable to convince her otherwise, and returns to the United States after contracting dengue fever
from a mosquito
.
In the meantime, the ex-wives, children and respective lawyers continue attempting to destroy and disprove all evidence of Troy Phelan's sanity and even the will itself. They finally decide not to contest the will in court, fearing that their testimony during the deposition will further hurt their case. They also realize that two witnesses for the plantiff are lying and would be torn to shreds by Nate should a trial ever take place. To settle the matter, Nate agrees that the relatives of Troy Phelan will be paid fifty million dollars each (minus lawyers' fees) to stop turning the will contest into a legal quagmire
.
When all is over, Nate returns to the jungle
in order to get Rachel to sign off on the settlement, but when he arrives he learns that Rachel has died from malaria
. She has, however, left instructions that the money be put into trust for the benefit of the indigenous peoples and that Nate will have control of the trust. The end of the book shows Nate riding off in a boat into the Pantanal, not caring if it took a month to get back to civilization.
businessman, commits suicide
. In order to leave his family out of his will, he makes a fake will a few hours before his suicide, putting his family into that will. Then minutes before his suicide, he shows his lawyer a new will that he would like carried out. This will leaves only enough money to each of his heirs to pay off their debts up until the day of his death, and leaves everything else to Rachel Lane, an illegitimate daughter no one has heard of before.
Josh Stafford, Troy's lawyer
, confidante and executor, must find Rachel, but he knows only that she is a missionary
somewhere in Brazil
. He decides to assign Nate O'Riley, former high-powered litigator and recovering alcoholic, to find her. Nate is just emerging from his fourth stay in rehab, and he reluctantly agrees to go. Josh is the one who manipulate the situation from behind the scene.
Rachel Lane, an illegitimate daughter who Troy wills eleven billion dollars to. She is a missionary in Brazil who wants nothing to do with the money, and refuses to sign any legal papers. She was contacted by her father when she was a teenager. Troy pressured her to work for him and to enter into her life as a father. She grew to dislike him and disappeared into medical school and the seminary.
Nate O'Riley, the lawyer sent to find Rachel Lane. He has been off-and-on drugs/alcohol several times, crashing harder every time. A workoholic whose habits have shattered both of his marriages, he is sent to Brazil to get him away from the office, where he falls in love with Rachel. He has two children from his first marriage and two younger children from his second marriage.
The Phelan Children, six children that were born to three different woman (a seventh one died in a car accident). All of them are either broke or heavily in debt. They have not earned a decent dime of their own money and are desperate for a cut of the $11 billion prize. Troy told Josh that his wives hated them and taught their children to hate him as well. He said he was a miserable father and reproduced miserably.
John Grisham
John Ray Grisham, Jr. is an American lawyer and author, best known for his popular legal thrillers.John Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University before attending the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1981 and practiced criminal law for about a decade...
. It was published in hardcover by Doubleday on February 2, 1999.
Plot summary
Troy Phelan, an eccentric elderly billionaire, commits suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
minutes after leaving his vast fortune to an illegitimate
Legitimacy (law)
At common law, legitimacy is the status of a child who is born to parents who are legally married to one another; and of a child who is born shortly after the parents' divorce. In canon and in civil law, the offspring of putative marriages have been considered legitimate children...
daughter, Rachel Lane, instead of his six children by three marriages. His reason is revulsion over years of fighting with, and embarrassment from, his family, as well as their greed — much of which was due to his neglect of his children and multiple affairs (both personal and business).
His lawyers are now tasked with protecting Troy's wishes as well as finding the heiress. Nate O'Riley, a high-powered litigation lawyer and now recovering alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, is sent to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, where Rachel is believed to be living as a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
.
While Nate is trying to find Rachel, Troy's family does everything in their power to contest the new will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
. They argue that although Troy was examined by three of the top psychiatrists in the nation, he was lacking sanity at the time of the new will.
The journey into the Pantanal
Pantanal
The Pantanal is a tropical wetland and one of the world's largest wetland of any kind. Most of it lies within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, but it extends into Mato Grosso and portions of Bolivia and Paraguay, sprawling over an area estimated at between and...
of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
by way of Corumbá
Corumbá
Corumbá is a municipality in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, 425 km northwest of Campo Grande, the state's capital. It has a population of approximately 96,000 inhabitants, and its economy is based mainly on agriculture, animal husbandry, mineral extraction, and tourism, being the...
nearly kills Nate, but finally he and his guide locate the tribe with which Rachel Lane is living. She refuses the legacy or anything connected with it. Nate is unable to convince her otherwise, and returns to the United States after contracting dengue fever
Dengue fever
Dengue fever , also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles...
from a mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
.
In the meantime, the ex-wives, children and respective lawyers continue attempting to destroy and disprove all evidence of Troy Phelan's sanity and even the will itself. They finally decide not to contest the will in court, fearing that their testimony during the deposition will further hurt their case. They also realize that two witnesses for the plantiff are lying and would be torn to shreds by Nate should a trial ever take place. To settle the matter, Nate agrees that the relatives of Troy Phelan will be paid fifty million dollars each (minus lawyers' fees) to stop turning the will contest into a legal quagmire
Quagmire
Quagmire may refer to:* Water infused earth or a bog. Solid ground may turn to quagmire following substantial rainfall.* By extension, a situation that is difficult to get out of.* A tactical defense made when defending a territory close to a river...
.
When all is over, Nate returns to the jungle
Jungle
A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
in order to get Rachel to sign off on the settlement, but when he arrives he learns that Rachel has died from malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. She has, however, left instructions that the money be put into trust for the benefit of the indigenous peoples and that Nate will have control of the trust. The end of the book shows Nate riding off in a boat into the Pantanal, not caring if it took a month to get back to civilization.
Characters in "The Testament"
Troy Phelan, an eccentric, reclusive, ruthless billionaireBillionaire
A billionaire, in countries that use the short scale number naming system, is a person who has a net worth of at least one billion units of a given currency, usually the United States dollar, Euro, or Pound sterling. Forbes magazine updates a complete list of U.S. dollar billionaires around the...
businessman, commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. In order to leave his family out of his will, he makes a fake will a few hours before his suicide, putting his family into that will. Then minutes before his suicide, he shows his lawyer a new will that he would like carried out. This will leaves only enough money to each of his heirs to pay off their debts up until the day of his death, and leaves everything else to Rachel Lane, an illegitimate daughter no one has heard of before.
Josh Stafford, Troy's lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, confidante and executor, must find Rachel, but he knows only that she is a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
somewhere in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. He decides to assign Nate O'Riley, former high-powered litigator and recovering alcoholic, to find her. Nate is just emerging from his fourth stay in rehab, and he reluctantly agrees to go. Josh is the one who manipulate the situation from behind the scene.
Rachel Lane, an illegitimate daughter who Troy wills eleven billion dollars to. She is a missionary in Brazil who wants nothing to do with the money, and refuses to sign any legal papers. She was contacted by her father when she was a teenager. Troy pressured her to work for him and to enter into her life as a father. She grew to dislike him and disappeared into medical school and the seminary.
Nate O'Riley, the lawyer sent to find Rachel Lane. He has been off-and-on drugs/alcohol several times, crashing harder every time. A workoholic whose habits have shattered both of his marriages, he is sent to Brazil to get him away from the office, where he falls in love with Rachel. He has two children from his first marriage and two younger children from his second marriage.
The Phelan Children, six children that were born to three different woman (a seventh one died in a car accident). All of them are either broke or heavily in debt. They have not earned a decent dime of their own money and are desperate for a cut of the $11 billion prize. Troy told Josh that his wives hated them and taught their children to hate him as well. He said he was a miserable father and reproduced miserably.