It's 1974 and the schools are being desegregated - and the neighborhood of Southie is determined that's not to happen. The Irish American neighborhood crime gang is the one who make the rules in Southie - not the cops. Alongside this, a dead black teenager is found at the train station - and a white teen is missing.
Small Mercies is told through Mary Pat Fennessy's eyes. She's lived her whole life in the Southie housing projects. She's tough and has suffered much over the years - losing her husband, son and now her daughter is missing. This conflux of events sparks something in Mary Pat. She's had enough, lost enough and isn't going to back down this time. I loved Mary Pat - she does bad things for the right reason. She made me cry for her and her losses, for a hard life, for the limits life handed out to her. But she's trying to see things from another perspective. The other character I really was Bobby - a cop in the neighborhood. He thinks before he does, he's calm and sees the big picture.
Racism is a large part of Small Mercies - and it's darn hard to read. This is 49 years ago, and truly, what has changed? (More tears from this reader.)
Lehane is a fantastic writer. Small Mercies is hard to read, but impossible to put down. You'll be thinking about it long after the last page is turned. See for yourself - read an excerpt of Small Mercies.
Gentle readers - there are triggers in Small Mercies with violence leading the pack.
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