Thank you so much to Thoughts from a Page Podcast and Celadon Books for the chance to read a galley copy of Mercury by Amy Jo Burns, which releases January 2, 2024. I am here to tell you if you like beautifully written messy family stories full of secrets, you must preorder your copy today or get on the hold list at your local library. You will not regret it. 

This work of literary fiction opens in 1990 and main character 17 year old Marley West has just arrived in the blue-collar, river valley town Mercury, Pennsylvania. She becomes friends with the three Joseph brothers–their family operates a well-known roofing business. As Marley and the brothers grow, things change–including the brothers’ mother and the success of the roofing business. And Marley finds herself stepping in to be a wife to one brother, a guide to another and a fill-in mother to the youngest. Years later, a shocking discovery in the town church’s attic that strikes at the heart of this family. 

I could not put this down. I thought about it constantly when I wasn’t reading it and while it’s been a week since I finished, I continue to think about these characters and their stories. It is just so beautifully done, with each character handled in such a tender way–flaws and all. Five glowing stars. Highly recommended for lovers of character driven family stories.