Prior Convictions

Willa Jansson is back from a year spent in exile, working for a large corporate firm in Los Angeles for the sake of her resume and bank account. Now she is back in San Francisco clerking for a judge. Before she knows it, she is in the middle of another confusing situation as a result of doing the favor for an old friend. This book was particlarly satisfying as it explored the motivations and conflicts of the anti-war activists. Willa's conflicts are many and the motives and motivations of the characters keeps us on the edge of our chair till the end.

the pot-smoking flower child daughter of beatnik idealists agonizes over lawyering in the materialistic culture of the early nineties. insightful look at politics in the judiciary. the protagonist's angst is infectious.

This is the best of the early Willa Jansson stories. (I haven't yet read the recent volumes that came out after a 5-year hiatus.) Focussing as usual on Willa's personal and professional crises, Matera puts Willa in yet another new job as a clerk for a federal judge, where a casual meeting with a high-powered lawyer leads to complications. Willa has clearly been set up, but by who and why? Willa searches for these and other answers with her ever-present supplies of wit and marijuana.