Amy Jo Burns’s latest novel, Mercury, is a richly textured narrative that weaves together themes of family loyalty, forbidden love, and the complexities of inheritance in both its literal and metaphorical forms. Set against the backdrop of Mercury, Pennsylvania—a blue-collar town where rooftops define destinies—the story spans multiple decades and generations, centered around the Joseph family and their roofing dynasty.
Setting and Atmosphere
Burns masterfully crafts the atmosphere of 1990s small-town Pennsylvania, where industrial decline meets unwavering resilience. The setting isn’t merely a backdrop; it’s a living, breathing entity that shapes the characters’ lives and choices. The author’s intimate knowledge of the roofing industry and blue-collar life lends authenticity to every scene, from the technical details of laying rubber membranes to the visceral experience of working atop industrial buildings in all weather conditions.
Plot and Character Development
The narrative revolves around Marley West, a seventeen-year-old seeking belonging, who becomes irrevocably entangled with the Joseph family. Burns structures the story with remarkable skill, alternating between different time periods and perspectives while maintaining narrative cohesion. The plot unfolds like a carefully laid roof—each layer building upon the last, creating something both protective and revealing.
Key Characters:
- Marley West: The newcomer who becomes the family’s emotional anchor
- Waylon Joseph: The middle son who struggles between duty and desire
- Baylor Joseph: The eldest, carrying the weight of unfulfilled expectations
- Shay Joseph: The youngest, harboring secrets of his own
- Elise Joseph: The matriarch whose presence (and absence) shapes the story
- Mick Joseph: The patriarch whose actions ripple through generations
Writing Style and Craft
Burns’s prose is both lyrical and grounded, much like her previous work in Shiner. However, in Mercury, Amy Jo Burns achieves an even greater mastery of voice and perspective. Her descriptions of physical labor become poetry, and her handling of emotional complexity shows remarkable restraint and insight.
Strengths
- Authentic portrayal of working-class life and family dynamics
- Complex, well-developed characters with distinct voices
- Masterful handling of multiple timelines and perspectives
- Rich, atmospheric setting that becomes a character itself
- Nuanced exploration of love, loyalty, and sacrifice
Areas for Improvement
- Some readers might find the pacing in the middle section slightly uneven
- The multiple timelines, while skillfully handled, occasionally require careful attention to follow
- A few secondary character arcs could have been more fully developed
- Some metaphors, particularly those involving roofing, can feel repetitive
Themes and Deeper Analysis
The novel excels in its exploration of several interconnected themes:
Family Legacy
Burns examines how inheritance shapes identity, both in terms of physical businesses and emotional patterns. The Joseph family’s roofing company becomes a metaphor for generational responsibility and the weight of expectations.
Love and Sacrifice
The various forms of love portrayed in the novel – romantic, familial, platonic – are all marked by sacrifice and compromise. Burns shows how love can both heal and wound, often simultaneously.
Secrets and Truth
The discovery in the church attic serves as a catalyst for examining how secrets shape families and communities. The author skillfully explores how truth, when revealed, can both destroy and rebuild.
Comparison to Other Works
While Mercury shares some thematic elements with Amy Jo Burns’s previous novel Shiner, it represents a significant evolution in her storytelling abilities. The book can be compared to works like Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteridge in its examination of small-town life, or Annie Proulx’s That Old Ace in the Hole in its attention to working-class detail and generational storytelling.
Impact and Relevance
The novel feels particularly relevant in its exploration of family businesses, working-class life, and the challenges facing small industrial towns. Burns captures the dignity of manual labor while acknowledging the economic and social pressures that threaten traditional ways of life.
Final Verdict
While not without minor flaws, the novel succeeds brilliantly in its ambitious goals. Burns has created a work that is both intimately personal and broadly relevant, examining how families build, destroy, and rebuild both literal and metaphorical structures.
Recommendation
This book is highly recommended for readers who appreciate:
- Literary fiction with strong character development
- Stories about family dynamics and generational relationships
- Authentic portrayals of working-class life
- Complex narrative structures
- Rich, atmospheric writing
Author Background and Context
Amy Jo Burns has established herself as a powerful voice in contemporary literary fiction. Following her memoir Cinderland and her acclaimed novel Shiner, Mercury represents another step forward in her exploration of family, community, and the complex intersections of love and duty.
Mercury confirms Amy Jo Burns’s place among today’s most insightful chroniclers of American family life, particularly in its examination of blue-collar experiences and small-town dynamics. The novel stands as a testament to her growth as a writer and her deep understanding of human nature in all its complicated glory.
