MERCURY: A Novel - Softcover

Livesey, Margot

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062437518 ISBN 13: 9780062437518

Publisher: Perennial, 2017

Synopsis

Donald believes he knows all there is to know about seeing. An optometrist in suburban Boston, he is sure that he and his wife, Viv, who runs the local stables, are both devoted to their two children and to each other. Then Mercury--a gorgeous young Thoroughbred with a murky past--arrives at Windy Hill and their world changes. Everyone at the stables is struck by Mercury's beauty and prowess, particularly Viv. As she rides him, she begins to dream of competing again, reigniting the ambitions that she pursued, and reluctantly relinquished, as a young woman. Her daydreams soon morph into consuming desire, and her infatuation with the Thoroughbred escalates to obsession. Donald may have 20/20 vision, but he is slow to notice how profoundly Viv has changed. By the time he does, it is too late to stop the catastrophic collision of Viv's ambitions and his own myopia.

About this title

Review

“You’ll be glued to the page.” (People, Pick of the Week)

“Livesey knows her way around human desire and disappointment. Like the recent blockbusters Gone Girl and Fates and Furies, Mercury gives us a marriage from alternating perspectives. Unlike those books, there is no looming gimmick or twist. The parties involved agree on what has happened. The question is whether or not their love can survive it.” (The New Yorker)

“Margot Livesey should be better known.... [She] writes as well as anyone and is clearly steeped in the literary canon.... She’s a patient builder of complex characters who are often brought face to face with uncomfortable truths about themselves.” (Mark Kamine, Wall Street Journal)

“MERCURY explores that thrilling, terrifying moment when grief turns blind, when passion becomes obsession. As always, Livesey tells her tale masterfully, with intelligence, tenderness and a shrewd understanding of all our mercurial human impulses.” (Lily King, author of EUPHORIA)

“Livesey’s prose has a brusque sensuality. It reads lucid and forthright and lean.... Livesey roots tension not just in the bones but the very marrow of the book.” (Leah Hager Cohen, Boston Globe)

“Delving into the subtler miscommunications of even the most intertwined lives... [Mercury] underlines the small efforts people make to carve out autonomy within a marriage.” (Chloe Schama, New York Times Book Review)

“Step by step, Livesey brilliantly assembles a truly painful and frightening picture of delusion.... I cannot in good conscience reveal more of the plot. I came to this story in a state of innocence, and I feel that its terrific power depended in great part on the gradual unfolding of unlooked-for events.” (Katherine A. Powers, Barnes and Noble review)

“MERCURY is a haunting, meticulous inquiry into the nature of blindness-its insidious power to corrupt marital trust, even between those with perfect vision. Margot Livesey is a searingly intelligent writer at the height of her powers.” (Jennifer Egan, author of A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD)

“A fiercely intelligent exploration of the ways blindness — to ourselves, others, and the power of passion and grief — can divide us and transform us.... Livesey’s skillful play with the title’s many meanings... gives her narrative a rich imagery that interweaves seamlessly with its textured evocation of everyday life.” (Publishers Weekly)

“MERCURY is as luminous, unforgettable, and perfectly rendered as only Margot Livesey can accomplish. I only wished it were twice as long.” (Dennis Lehane, author of WORLD GONE BY)

Book Description

Mercury is at once a tense psychological drama and a taut emotional thriller exploring love, obsession, and the deceits that pull a family apart.

About this edition

• Publisher: Perennial
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0062437518
• ISBN 13: 9780062437518
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352