Mercury by Amy Jo Burns is a complex portrayal of a dysfunctional family, the Josephs, with an exploration of toxic relationships between all the characters. Most of the book follows Marley, who moved to the small town of Mercury at the age of 17 and married Waylon, one of the three Joseph brothers. We also see the POV of all three Joseph brothers: Shay (the youngest), Waylon (the middle child), and Baylor (the oldest). 

At the center of this book is a mystery concerning what is discovered in the attic of the local church. When I say mystery, I don’t mean in the vein of a genre mystery. Basically, none of the characters are particularly interested in finding out the “truth” of what occurred. Rather the opposite, in fact. Each of the characters’ involvement is slowly revealed during their respective POV sections. 

This book is gritty and raw with complex, flawed characters who are trapped inside their own perspectives. There’s very little self-awareness shown by any of the characters which I’m sure is intentional on the part of the author. However, it did make for a frustrating reading experience as everyone acts, at best, complacent, and at worst, like a complete doormat.

This book ends with a lot of things unaddressed and I found the last two chapters to be really rushed, especially since it includes a huge time skip. I had no sense that the toxic dynamics between any of the characters were confronted or even changed. A lot of things are basically hand-waved away including Shay’s feelings and all of the problems with Mick, their father. 

Overall, this was an engaging, slow-paced read that provided a nuanced perspective on toxic family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.