GGotS Review: Mercury by Hope Larson

By Eden Miller

In 1859, farm girl Josey Fraser meets a stranger, Asa Curry, who promises to help mine the gold on her father’s land. In 2009, Tara Fraser is still dealing with the aftermath of her house burning down. Connected across time by blood and a necklace containing a drop of mercury, the fates of these two teenage girls intertwine as they face their family’s mysteries.

In her new graphic novel Mercury, due out April 6 from Atheneum, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Hope Larson shows the same lyrical beauty and subtle magical realism she’s known for. The parallel stories of Mercury are ambitious, but Larson pulls them off with an easy grace. Her thoughtful, open linework and intuitive understanding for the inner lives of teenage girls make this a book that will linger with readers long after the final pages.

I love that Larson lets each of these characters be products of their time while still reinforcing that some things about being a teenage girl never change. Without ever making her feel too modern, Josey takes tentative steps toward love when she develops a crush on Asa, and comes into conflict with her family over the stranger’s intentions. Tara finds a competitor and companion in Ben, who also feels misplaced, and fights with her distant mother over not wanting to move again. Each girl feels genuine and recognizable, regardless of what time period they’re in.

I love the simple, day-to-day events presented in both time periods. Josey picks berries and sweeps her house. Tara meets her friends at diners and grumbles over who’s been invited when they’re people she doesn’t like. Even when these scenes don’t necessarily move the plot forward by huge leaps, it lets Larson’s clear-eyed attention to these simple details shine through. Her sense of time and place are impeccable and I love how she’s able to suggest characters’ internal emotions with delicate shifting of lines.

Larson also incorporates the more fantastic elements here without any hesitation or fear. One thing I’ve always loved about her work is that those elements always come across as dream-like and possibly just a representation of what’s going on in the characters’ minds. The “magic” is a little more present in Mercury than in her other work — Josey’s mother has visions, for instance, as does Josey at one point, and Tara is obviously connected to both of them through blood — but the climax of Tara’s story does take on a particularly surreal feel as she gets closer to uncovering her family’s secret.

Structurally, the book is easy to follow as it switches from Josey’s story to Tara’s and back. The pages of Josey’s story are bordered with black whereas Tara’s pages are white. It also complements the tone of each — Josey’s story is ultimately darker than Tara’s. (I suppose it’s worth noting that at the point we meet her, Tara’s already experienced tragedy whereas Josey hasn’t.) I also love the varied panel layouts Larson uses — conversations flow through a series of smaller panels while longer, quiet moments are given larger, more open panels. It’s probably something more readers won’t think too much about, but it’s masterfully done.

Because she often creates books that fall into the young adult category (and also are about teenage girls), I think some people tend to write off Larson and fail to recognize her considerable gifts. If you’re not watching what she does, it’s time to start. Yes, I’d gladly give Mercury to a 12-year-old girl, but I’d also gladly give it to my boyfriend or my brother or even my mother. I think this powerfully beautiful story will find resonance with just about anyone.

PDF review copy provided by Hope Larson.

[Image courtesy of Atheneum/Simon & Schuster]