An Easy-To-Read Book About a Family With Serious Problems
Many characters in Mercury are living with secrets. One main character thinks “his own secrets were the worst in the Joseph family, but he was wrong.”
This was my first time to read a novel by author Amy Jo Burns. She does a good job of maintaining the pace of the plot and the ever-evolving character development, so I wanted to continue to turn pages. Readers will appreciate that characters in this book have to resolve their problems on their own or reach a point where they are willing to accept compromises or can tolerate the compromises they must endure if they remain with their family or even remain within that town. There are no wealthy benefactors turning up with a trust fund or successful friends who suddenly step forward with an offer of a coveted job in the Hollywood movie industry. English teachers would easily assign an analytical essay, asking students to explain why a previously common ingredient in thermometers is a fitting name for this very small town. (Think danger, contamination, long-lasting toxicity.)
Some other aspects of this book which I liked were the importance of female friendship between Marley and her high school friend Jade as well as the example from Marley’s single mom and Interim Pastor Lennox to provide emotional support by remaining calm and caring and above all non-judgmental. There is good advice that readers could apply to every day life. For example, if people feel that they need to move to a different location to start over, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. As Pastor Lennox says, “Not all leaving is running away” (page 289). This book is never preachy or heavy-handed with religion. It simply is realistic showing houses of worship as playing an important part in small towns. Lennon could be a caring and accepting leader of any religion
The book covers more than a decade as it starts with rising- senior Marley moving to Mercury with her single mom the summer before she finishes high school and carries her through a life time of experiences. The years go by effortlessly as one reads, and as Marley learns many lessons, the most important one is that she thought someone knew the secret for having confidence, but learns “as soon as I got [that person’s] secrets, I wanted to give them back.”
I have rounded up my rating to a 5. The reason it was not a perfect five for me was that around Chapter 25 I initially felt the novel should segue into a denouement for Marley and everyone in her life. I thought the story was starting to repeat, nut the ten chapters that followed introduced new character studies that will help the book to appeal to a wider audience. I really like literatry fiction and a couple of times I wondered if Mercury was going to turn out to be romance book (not my go-to genre.) I’m pleased to say that was not the case; scenes with romantic involvement were handled with class. Nothing against heated passion; I just don’t need lengthy graphic details to enjoy a story. I believe I would enjoy going back and reading earlier works by this author. Thank you for my copy of this book. This review is my honest and unsolicited opinion.
This was my first time to read a novel by author Amy Jo Burns. She does a good job of maintaining the pace of the plot and the ever-evolving character development, so I wanted to continue to turn pages. Readers will appreciate that characters in this book have to resolve their problems on their own or reach a point where they are willing to accept compromises or can tolerate the compromises they must endure if they remain with their family or even remain within that town. There are no wealthy benefactors turning up with a trust fund or successful friends who suddenly step forward with an offer of a coveted job in the Hollywood movie industry. English teachers would easily assign an analytical essay, asking students to explain why a previously common ingredient in thermometers is a fitting name for this very small town. (Think danger, contamination, long-lasting toxicity.)
Some other aspects of this book which I liked were the importance of female friendship between Marley and her high school friend Jade as well as the example from Marley’s single mom and Interim Pastor Lennox to provide emotional support by remaining calm and caring and above all non-judgmental. There is good advice that readers could apply to every day life. For example, if people feel that they need to move to a different location to start over, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. As Pastor Lennox says, “Not all leaving is running away” (page 289). This book is never preachy or heavy-handed with religion. It simply is realistic showing houses of worship as playing an important part in small towns. Lennon could be a caring and accepting leader of any religion
The book covers more than a decade as it starts with rising- senior Marley moving to Mercury with her single mom the summer before she finishes high school and carries her through a life time of experiences. The years go by effortlessly as one reads, and as Marley learns many lessons, the most important one is that she thought someone knew the secret for having confidence, but learns “as soon as I got [that person’s] secrets, I wanted to give them back.”
I have rounded up my rating to a 5. The reason it was not a perfect five for me was that around Chapter 25 I initially felt the novel should segue into a denouement for Marley and everyone in her life. I thought the story was starting to repeat, nut the ten chapters that followed introduced new character studies that will help the book to appeal to a wider audience. I really like literatry fiction and a couple of times I wondered if Mercury was going to turn out to be romance book (not my go-to genre.) I’m pleased to say that was not the case; scenes with romantic involvement were handled with class. Nothing against heated passion; I just don’t need lengthy graphic details to enjoy a story. I believe I would enjoy going back and reading earlier works by this author. Thank you for my copy of this book. This review is my honest and unsolicited opinion.