Small Mercies

Reviewed By  Nan van Dissel       May 14, 2023

 

Author  Dennis Lehane.

Distributor:      Hachette
ISBN:                 9780349145761
Publisher:         Hachette. Imprint Abacus.
Release Date:   April 2023  

   Website:   https://www.hachette.com.au

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Is the death of a black youth connected to the disappearance of a white 17 year old teenage girl? Based on his own experience growing up in South Boston, award winning author, Dennis Lehane, has written a powerful, historical, murder mystery set in the late summer of 1974 Boston, just when it was decided to desegregate the city’s public high schools. Two schools were selected; one was South Boston High School.

 Protagonist, white middle aged single parent Mary Pat, who has lived her entire life in ‘Southie’, an Irish American enclave, is intent on finding her daughter, Jules, who has gone missing after a night out with her ‘useless’ boyfriend.

Arriving at work the following day, distraught Mary Pat discovers that one of her black workmate’s son, Auggie Williamson, has been found dead on the railway tracks at a station in Southie. Was he murdered? What was the role of Jules and her friends?

There has been enough tragedy in her life, so Mary Pat is not about to take to take pathetic excuses lying down; she doesn’t care who she accuses or upsets. She is determined to find the love of her life, Jules, and to punish those who have lied to her or hurt her daughter.

Finding information about her daughter’s disappearance proves difficult, as at every turn Mary Pat is warned off. The wealthy influential head of the Irish mob and those who work for him are not pleased with this threat to business; Mary Pat is not adhering to the neighbourhood code.

The writer masterfully draws readers into this period of violence, simmering racial tension, political unrest and chaos as a result of the court ordered public school integration. Added to this, his complex, unforgettable characters, make this a gritty, powerful and for many an eye opening novel, which is highly recommended.