Mercury by Hope Larson – Review

In Hope Larson’s new graphic novel Mercury, teenage angst, Gaelic mythology, and mystery combine to create a riveting story.  The story switches between the tale of Josey Fraser and Tara Fraser.

Josey Fraser lives in 1850.  Tara Fraser lives in 2009.  Both of them live in French Hill, Nova Scotia.  Josey lives on her parents’ farm.  One day, Asa Curry comes to speak with her father about finding gold on her father’s land.  The events that take place will change Josey’s life.  Tara Fraser has just moved back to French Hill two years after the house she lived in with her mother burned down.  Tara’s mother is working to try to support her daughter, so Tara is living with her cousin.  While Tara’s mother tries to earn money so Tara can come back to live with her, Tara just wants to live in their old house on the farm that’s been in the family for 200 years.

The artwork is in simple, black and white line work that makes the comic panels uncomplicated but still starkly elegant.  The focus of the story is the plot and characters and Larson’s drawing style compliments the story without complicating it.  It’s easy to see what is happening in each panel and to pick up the important details in the drawings.

The characters should resonate with teenagers because they are facing the same problems that other teenagers face every day, stress from feeling alienated, worries about their families, worrying about new relationships, and everything that happens in school.  Even Josey is a relatable character, despite her 1850s story line. Josey’s parents don’t approve of Asa Curry, despite the fact that Josey is in love with him.  She struggles with her feelings for Asa and her parents’ disapproval in a very realistic way. All of the female characters in the book are strong. They have their own opinions and their own ideas and they do their best to try to create solutions to their problems, rather than just complaining and hoping someone else will manage to fix things.  These characters, though, are also dealing with magical events taking place in their lives.  Some of the magic is startling and some of it is subtle, but all of it has a huge impact on the lives of the characters involved.

Mercury was easy to read.  I got through it in a little less than two hours.  It was a very quick read, as well.  Even though the story flops back and forth between the two time periods, it doesn’t get confusing, and it’s still very engaging as the reader tries to figure out just exactly how the stories of Tara Fraser and Josey Fraser are going to intertwine.  It’s certainly much more than the fact that Tara and Josey are related, Josey’s story has a very direct influence on Tara’s story.  

This graphic novel would be an excellent read for anyone who enjoys fairy tales.  There’s nothing particularly objectionable in the book, no foul language, no racy situations, which would make it a good candidate for a book a family could share.  It’s certainly interesting enough for adults to be interested just as much as teenagers would be. The story is probably dark and creepy enough that I wouldn’t recommend it for younger children.  I’d certainly suggest 12 years and up for this one.