Customer Reviews

Mercy Among the Children: A Novel

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Here is a book about poverty, both of the spirit and of the pocket. Written in spare, tidy prose with exceptional characterizations, it is a dark tale periodically shot through with veins of pure gold; moments of such exquisite sweetness (in the character of little Percy, or the aging but quietly heroic Jay Beard) that they are painful. There is nothing stock about the narrative or about the characters who are among the most fully realized I've ever read. The good people (the Hendersons) are all forgivably flawed in some small way. And the bad people are understandable in their angry manipulations, in their negative strengths and human weaknesses. This is not light reading but it is potent and powerful, an evocation of the lengths to which the very poor can be driven. Lyle Henderson, son of the Job-like Sydney, narrator of the family history is a most believably tortured and loving soul. One hopes, throughout this book, for affirming moments that never materialize. Yet there is such truth here that I found it impossible not to keep reading.

I am dismayed that I didn't know of the award-winning David Adams Richards before reading this book, but I will certainly be reading his other books at the first possible opportunity. The author's talent is rare and wonderful; his eye is clear and he wastes no time on frilly adjectives. This is prose (and truth) at its purest--a truly remarkable achievement.

My highest recommendation.

I believe that I can easily say this is one of my all time favorite reads. It is wonderfully written, the life philosophy it portrays is ideological but many times it gives you a painful feeling for what is happening to the Henderson family.

The Hendersons seem to go through many hardships throughout their lives. Both husband and wife, and their two children, from the day they first interact with society they feel they are different, or even outcasts.

Sydney refuses to fight back, or think badly about anybody, even his greatest "enemies" though they put him through hell. He insists to be there for them when they need help, and to be kind to them whenever their paths may cross. His son Lyle, and the narrator of the story, witnesses that his father's niceness does not pay back, "the others" continue on hurting them, and plotting for Sydney's fall. Lyle decides to be different from his father, that he will always fight back and that he is not "fearful" like his father, and nobody will ever hurt him or his family again. But as Lyle gets older, he sees that his philosophy of fighting back also does not help him in life. On the contrary events that progress always makes him think about his fathers words "He who hurts others hurts himself."

It is definitely a book that most will enjoy reading, but if you are looking for a light read happy book, you might want to pass this one. It is a light read, because it's so well written but it is not a very happy book. I strongly recommend everybody to read this Canadian Giller prize winning novel from David Richard Adams.

Mr Richards is something of an unknown quantity, even in his native country, Canada. Most of his books focus on the east coast of Canada, its inhabitants and the way they are sculpted from the land and the circumstances they find themselves in.
For me probably the best word that describes it is "fable." Mr Richards is trying to make a point, a very difficult one to accept. I'll leave it to the reader to decide just what that is but you will not be able to put it down.
I grew so attached to the main character Sydney and his family that it felt lke a betrayal to put the book down. I was dying for some relief, some justice for this man. Mr Richards does not give in easily though and stays true to his course. He does not let the reader off lightly.
There are moments of obvious sentimentality but they are forgiveable.
I actually felt humbled by my own personal shortcomings and character faults as I read of the goodness of Sydney and his completely principled existance.
Mr Richards has shown that he is a brilliant study of human nature. His observances will convict you of the pettiness that so many of us live our daily lives.
This book is not for everyone but I wish it was. Goodness has an enduring quality while evil has its own rewards.

If I was rating this book on the writing alone, it would certainly be worth five stars. However as the other reviewers have stated this book is ripe with painful almost unbearable material, and the sheer difficulty of slogging through the misfortunes of the Henderson family makes for some mighty depressing reading. You will likely find yourself saying "Enough already, how much more can these poor people take!" That said this is still an excellent book, and well worth your time to read. Just remember if you are looking for a "feelgood" read this is probably not the book for you.

This is among the very best fiction I have read in a long long while. And yet, it was given to me by a friend who could not endure reading any further than the first few chapters. I think it is the kind of story you either love or hate, it is dark and frustrating and definitely not a "feel-good". I can see how some could feel smothered and weary with the relentless pessimistic Hardyesque fatalism that Richards marinates this thing in... it's like Jude The Obsure meets the biblical Book of Job! But I like Hardy. And Job for that matter! So I did not mind the constant question that revolves in "Mercy" which is, "How is the Henderson family going to survive the terrible injustice, shame and misfortune that is hurled against them?" Does truth matter?

Set in rural New Brunswick, Lyle Henderson, now nineteen years old, narrates the history of his family... the misfortune and ostracism that began with his grandfather and was passed on down to Lyle's father Sydney. At the age of twelve, an accident happens and Sydney, mistaking his friend for dead and believing himself responsible, makes a rash vow to God. If the boy lives, Sydney will never harm another living soul. The boy gets up and walks away. Lyle's recollections chronicle the result of Sydney's radical superhuman commitment to an unlimited "turn-the-other-cheek" pacifism. Sydney subjects himself, and in turn, subjects his family to a life of utter poverty and ridicule in the face of escalating accusations and abuse that come from a community that is only too willing to take advantage of his non-resistance. As Lyle says at one point "My mother and father's dreams were always dispensable to certain people, who for some reason believed that they themselves and their dreams were indispensable."
Sydney's life-philosophy is this: "No one can do an injury to you without doing an injury to themselves." And secondly, "In man's heart is the only truth that matters."
For the bulk of the book Richards does a tremendous job of showing us the frustration that comes from trying to actually live out the implications of Sydney's philosophy. Because here, as in real life, love and power are diametrically opposed. He who loves the most has the least power, and we find ourselves at times siding with Lyle... who is terribly sick of being trampled. But what's the alternative? To become a villain? It's not until the story comes full circle that we nod in agreement with Constable Delano, when he concludes about the Henderson family "The truth does matter!" You will be surprised at how much it matters.

What a profound and deeply moving, beautifully crafted book. You will love the victims, and you will loathe the villains. But, even some of the villains you will learn to love (or at least pity), because in the end, there is mercy among the children.

Winner of Canada's Giller Prize as the best novel of the year, this is a beautifully written, but excruciatingly painful, story of the Job-like suffering inflicted on a destitute family by mindless thugs, and the economic, political, and social climate of a community which allowed it to continue for twenty years. During an unparalleled series of disasters visited upon this independent and hard-working family, the author tackles the big questions of whether justice can be achieved through a turn-the-other-cheek, New Testament morality or whether it is more appropriately served by the fierce retribution seen in the Old Testament, and where love fits into the picture.

Lyle, the benighted young adolescent of the family, tries to live by his father's gentle code, while also trying to develop a sense of personal worth, establish relationships outside his family, protect his albino sister, and respect his parents, challenges he thinks are insurmountable when they ignore their persecution. Using vigorous, unadorned prose, Lyle conveys the harshness of his life unemotionally and honestly, judging himself as severely as he judges others. Aged twenty-five when he tells his story, he is a man who has been tested in the fiery furnaces, a man who has "left the Valley of the Saints" and seeks to wrest control of his life.

Unfortunately, the events which have scarred Lyle and his family are so ugly, so melodramatic, and so frequent that I became frustrated and angry at the family's passivity, so much so that I almost abandoned the book, despite the excellence of the writing. It does not give away the plot to say that members of the family are mocked and laughed at, beaten, sexually abused, robbed, poisoned by toxic waste, separated from each other, forced to pay unjust taxes, excommunicated, denied food at the local market (even though they can pay for it), and even drugged with LSD. They are charged with theft (more than once), sexual misconduct, being unfit parents, the sabotage of a bridge, and even manslaughter. Throughout all this, the parents console themselves with aphorisms about a man's heart and the belief that the evils done to them will rebound and destroy their enemies. The religious parallels are obvious and plentiful, as is the sense of redemption. I'm not so sure I agree about the justice of it all. Mary Whipple

In the novel for which he won the prestigious Giller Prize in 2000, David Adams Richards confronts his readers with the truth about the different dimensions of human nature, both good and bad.

The narrator, Lyle Henderson, tells the story of his family in small-town New Brunswick. As a child, his father Sydney vowed to God that he would never harm a soul and Sydney holds true to that promise. Others see this as weakness and pity him or use it as an opportunity to take advantage of him. Witnissing this as a child, Lyle takes a different, more aggressive attitude towards the world, and through the course of this novel, we witness how it all works out for both of them with their different outlooks.

An intriguing writing style and fascinating characters. Story and characters are drawn differently than I'm used to, but it was refreshing to be challenged with something new, and it was still incredibly realistic and interesting. The narration by Lyle is also different. Can a book be depressing and uplifting at one time? Read "Mercy Among the Children" and find out!

Although fictional, Mercy among the children portrays what could be a real life drama. From beginning to end, Richards shows great insight and understanding of human nature. His characters through the generations are believable and consistent. The issues of Morality and Justice intertwined throughout the story lines evoke strong emotions. This was a book I couldn't put down and when finished, wanted to share with others. It was easy to read, even though the themes continues to haunt.

Richards, and this book, had been praised to the skies both by professional critics and personal friends, so I overcame my prejudices against long, depressing family sagas and read it.
I will say that Richards is a very talented writer, and there are turns of phrase I will never forget. I also loved a few of the characters, in particular Autumn, the narrator's albino sister. However, I felt afflicted most of the way through the book. It seemed that there was far too much misfortune to believe for this one poor family. It's not that I had trouble believing that someone as good as Sidney Henderson would be exploited (nor did I find his character unbelievable, since his goodness was practically a disease in itself) but so many of the misfortunes seemed to relu on coincidence, and they came at the Hendersons unrelentinly.
Moreover, the conclusion was almost Dickensian in its mania to tie up every loose thread, and connect all sorts of characters in unlikely ways. And yes, I was touched by it, but I was infuriated afterwards.
Nonetheless, now that book is finished with, I do have a desire to read some of Richards other books. I just hope they will be a little less overwrought.

I got this book for Christmas, and after reading the first few pages, which were pretty dull, I was ready to put it down. But I kept reading, and am I ever glad I did! The story is about a poor family in the Maritimes, and is told by the oldest son, Lyle. His family, especially his brilliant and gentle father, is subjected to extreme injustices almost unrelentingly, as others see Sydney as an easy target. Despite it all, Sydney insists on helping the very people who hurt him. Lyle becomes a very bitter and angry young man, and his solution to life's problems is to fight back, something his father refused to do. This story is outrageous and depressing, and the ending is bittersweet at best. Not the kind of book you'd expect to steal your heart, but the overriding grace and goodness of Sydney Henderson did just that. Richards is an extremely talented writer whose characters seemed almost more real than real people. I'd definitely recommend this book.