Small mercies: Incredibly Relevant Now!

Book Title: Small Mercies
Author: Dennis Lehane

When I picked up Dennis Lehane’s Small Mercies, I was immediately transported to Boston’s Southie neighborhood in the sweltering summer of 1974. The novel, though set in the past, tackles themes that feel incredibly timely and relevant today.

At its core, Small Mercies is a gripping crime novel, but it is also a profound exploration of racism and a heart-wrenching tale of a mother who has lost everything. The story delves into life in the projects during a tumultuous period when Boston was grappling with the desegregation of its public school system, revealing the worst sides of many residents.

The protagonist, Mary Pat Fennessy, is a woman trying to survive and keep the bill collectors at bay. Having lived her entire life in Southie’s mostly Irish-American housing projects, Mary Pat’s life is a series of hardships. Her ex-husband has left her, her son overdosed on heroin after returning from Vietnam, and her teenage daughter Jules is involved with a boyfriend Mary Pat despises. One fateful night, Jules goes out with her boyfriend and a friend and never returns. Simultaneously, a young Black man is found dead on the subway train tracks, and no one knows what happened to him.

Initially, these two events seem unrelated. However, as Mary Pat begins to investigate Jules’ disappearance, she discovers that the events might be connected. Her desperate search for answers puts her in the crosshairs of Marty Butler, the head of Southie’s Irish mob. Marty, who is already troubled by the attention Southie is receiving due to the anti-desegregation protests, warns Mary Pat to stop asking questions. But a mother’s determination to find her missing daughter knows no bounds.

Small Mercies is not just about a mother’s quest to find her daughter and the ensuing trouble with the mob. It is set against the backdrop of a city in turmoil, marked by protests, anger, violence, anti-government sentiment, and rampant racism. Lehane offers a scathing critique of how race was perceived by many Southie residents during this period.

The novel is a challenging read, filled with constant racist discourse and slurs. However, there are moments when Mary Pat begins to question her long-held beliefs about Black people. While these moments do not redeem her, they highlight how racism can be an inherited trait rather than a conscious choice.

Lehane’s use of noir elements is masterful, providing a filter through which the characters’ harsh realities are revealed. Mary Pat, her sister, and Jules are all profoundly unhappy, struggling to stay afloat in a world where crime, race, class, and geography are deeply interconnected. Breaking these cycles seems almost impossible for those who see Southie as the center of the world and have no desire to understand or respect any other place.

Ultimately, Small Mercies is a novel about grief, poverty, desperation, and the power wielded by criminals in Southie. The central theme of racism makes it a poignant and relevant read today, as many of the issues depicted in the story persist in our society.

*