Five Star Read: Mercury

In 2023 I heard from several bookish podcasters that they felt the number of amazing books being published was underwhelming.  I personally never felt like the selection was lacking.  I couldn't keep up with my TBR piles - and they continued to grow throughout the year.

2024 is starting off strong for me as well.

 

Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is my first five star read of 2024, but I have already read a couple of others.  Burns' sophomore novel is even better (in my opinion) than her fantastic first novel, Shiner.

Marley West and her mother arrive in Mercury, Pennsylvania in 1990. Marley's a teenager and Mercury is a blue-collar town that doesn't have new people move in all that often.  Soon, Marley meets the Joseph family - three brothers whose parents own a roofing business.  Marley is taken in by the family and begins eating meals with them.  She watches as their mother disappears and the roofing business nearly fails because of their father's poor management and oversized ego.  And Marley makes herself indispensable, while still trying to retain her own identity.

The story begins with the discovery of a dead body, but although there is some suspense as things unfold, this book is character driven and I loved how Burns developed all of the people that make up this story. 

I am already fairly confident this book will still be one of my favorites of 2024 even though we have eleven more months until it's time to narrow things down.