Small Mercies by Dennis LehaneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was the first book I read by Dennis Lehane, but I was SO impressed by his writing. It's his most recent book, written after a seven year hiatus, which deals with the Boston court-mandated school desegregation in 1974. It is gritty, violent, and very tough to read. This may be his last book; he is committed to screenwriting TV and movies, and this book is in the process of being developed into a series for Apple TV. Content warnings abound - violence, language, and much, much more.
I really got a sense of place - Boston during the heat of summer in a neighborhood which is experiencing the impending desegregation of their schools. There are flawed characters, particularly the main character Mary Pat, whose 16-year-old daughter has gone missing the same night as a brutal murder of a black teenager whose car broke down on the wrong side of town. This book is definitely a tough read, but very informative of a different time and place...or is it really so different from our current situation??
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