The Heaven of Mercury

This is another book to love by Brad Watson.

While I did have a few quibbles here and there with passages that went on and on and really did nothing to serve the story, I will let that slide because it was beautiful writing, although admittedly I skipped some of it.

Mostly, I wanted to know about Finus, Avis, Birdie, Earl, Aunt Vish, Junius, Creasy, and Merry, and on and on.

This is a story of unrequited love, about people who support one another, hate one another, cause problems for one another and then try to patch it all up. It's about marriages that shouldn't have happened, infidelity, imperfect people, and those who believe they've never done any wrong. It's like reading a mashup of Cormac McCarthy, Larry Brown, Donald Ray Pollock show more with a solid dose of Rick Bragg's style small town living.

There were parts that were laugh out loud funny, and many parts that made me cringe. And finally, toward the end, I learned I'd been saying the name Finus in my head wrong the entire time.

All in all, still a five star read - a book I highly recommend! show less

This book had the potential to be great. There were several points when the writing was superb and enthralling. There were moments when the characters came alive and sparkled. But there were also moments that fell flat, characters who seemed more caricature than reality, and places where the storyline seemed to plunge off into a place too dark and confusing for me to really wish to follow.

I’d like to tell you whose story this is, but I’m still a bit unsure. It seemed to be Finus’ story, but maybe it was Birdie’s, or perhaps it was Creasie’s tale. There is a black dummy that ought to stand for something, maybe does stand for something that I am not grasping, but that seems to be a plot device that doesn’t quite satisfy its show more purpose.

And, there are two instances when the plot is either a nod of tribute to two other writers, or the borrowing of a plot element that just comes a little too close to copying for my comfort. Again, I am having a hard time deciding which.

It must be said, Watson can write! His writing style is splendid and captivating and at times beautiful. Frequently he scores a perfect ten.

An open heart will save you, but you have to be smart, too. You have to be careful who you open your heart to. Some people can’t help but hurt you if they know it, he said, and kissed the young Finus on his forehead.

I’m unsure exactly what changes I would suggest to make this novel really work for me. It almost felt like Watson wanted to tell too many stories, so ended up not completely telling any. This is a 5-star read masquerading as a 3-star read. It’s like that face that just misses being beautiful because there is some lack of symmetry in the nose or the eyes are just a bit too far set. It still has character and personality, it just isn’t going to win the beauty contest. show less

The Heaven of Mercury is part love story, part murder mystery, and part taste of the South. These parts combine into a dull and dreary text. The love story offers no payoff to the reader. The murder mystery fails outright. It is so loosely developed, there are no clues for the reader to pick up. In the end the omniscient narrator just tells some back story to explain the mystery.

This guy can write -- if only he could learn the rules of novel writing: conflict, climax, resolution. There's none of that here. What we get instead is a sequence of loosely written character studies, with no real story tying them together.

Larry Brown, the "blurb" reviewer, claims that this book reminds him of Faulkner and Garcia Marquez. Huh? The comparison show more defames both writers, as this is a highly forgettable book without much passion, direction, or distinction. It is one of those books that tries so hard to be special that you can see through the attempt, and the effort ends up looking sad

A much better treatment of this small town story is Fanny Flagg's 'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café'. Characters you can relate to; stories that are coherent; and relationships that matter. show less

This book was nominated for a National Book Award in 2003. The author is from Mississippi. The reviews of this book say it is Southern Gothic in the style of Faulkner. I don't think it is Southern Gothic at all but it is written in the style of Faulkner. It has elements of magical realism in it. Where it falls down structurally is that it tries to do to much stylistically and therefore does none of it well. Where it excels is in the characterization and descriptions. By the time you are done with the novel you know these characters and the descriptions make you think you are right there in the scenes described. The author has a real since of place and can describe it so well. The plot doesn't work all that well, and the book ends with a show more whimper and no sense of surprise. show less

Not bad; just a little nebulous for me.

I read it so long ago that I don't remember it very well -- just that I liked it.