Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane – 12/20 Books of Summer

Mary Pat Fennessy lives in public housing in South Boston, working as a health aide at a nursing home, trying to pay her bills and worrying about her children. Her son died of a drug overdose after coming back from Vietnam. Her daughter Jules is going into her senior year of high school, hanging out all night with teens her mother distrusts.

Everyone in Southie during the summer of 1974 is worried about forced busing which has been mandated by the federal courts to address the segregated Boston schools – after the School Committee and Mayor were given many opportunities to come up with their own solution. Then four white teens are involved in an incident leading to the death of a young black man and Jules disappears. As Mary Pat searches for her daughter, she angers the Irish mob leaders who operate in her neighborhood and do not want the scrutiny her desperate search is causing. But for Mary Pat, there is no choice – now that everything has been taken from her, she refuses to be silent.

My Impression: Small Mercies is an incredible novel: unbearably dark and disturbing, suspenseful and impossible to put down. This was the July selection of my lawyers’ book group, former law clerks who were getting together with the judge we clerked for last week (usually we meet on Zoom). I read this in one afternoon, and while it is hard to love a book that is so violent and full of crude characters/language, I admired it enormously for making me feel I was with Mary Pat and suffering with her, despite the fact that she is a flawed, racist character. It is the sort of book that stays with you long after you have finished reading, especially as it portrays the unpleasant reality of Boston’s past. The Irish mob boss is based on Whitey Bulger and we know now that he was protected by an FBI agent, John Connolly. Our judge complained that book portrayed the Irish very negatively, which is true, but it is based on fact.  White adults threw rocks at black children on a school bus coming to their neighborhood.  Can you imagine how terrified those children were?

The school desegregation case was intended to create equity in the Boston Public Schools but the system is still struggling 50 years later. The schools are now integrated yet the quality of the education varies dramatically. There are three exam schools that take the best students in 7th or 9th grade and the other high schools do not always provide a full range of courses and extracurricular activities. While there are smart kids at every school, late bloomers can be out of luck.

Dennis Lehane grew up in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, not far from my office, but now lives in California. I got to meet him early in his career when he was virtually unknown and came to the Avon/Morrow Books sales conference. He is a big supporter of libraries, having relied on Boston’s branch system as a child, and actually used to be a Boston Public Library trustee. Apple TV is developing Small Mercies as a drama series but I think it would be weird to see a well-known period of local history with actors and (likely) fake Boston accents.  For those who prefer narrative nonfiction, I  recommend Common Ground by J. Anthony Lukas, which examined three families involved in the school desegregation case.

This is book 12 of my 20 Books of Summer, hosted by Cathy at 746 Books; probably the best I have read so far from my list, although very disturbing, as I mentioned.

It is also book 18 for Carol’s Cloak and Dagger Challenge.

How are you doing with your summer reading?

Publication: HarperCollins, hardcover, 2023
Genre: Suspense
Setting: Boston
Source: Library