Small Mercies

by Eddie Joyce

A startling and tender portrait of one family’s struggle to make peace with their son’s death

An ingeniously layered narrative, told over the course of one week, Eddie Joyce’s debut novel masterfully depicts an Italian-Irish American family on Staten Island and their complicated emotional history. Ten years after the loss of Bobby—the Amendola family’s youngest son—everyone is still struggling to recover from the firefighter’s unexpected death. Bobby’s mother Gail; his widow Tina; his older brothers Peter, the corporate lawyer, and Franky, the misfit; and his father Michael have all dealt with their grief in different ways. But as the family gathers together for Bobby Jr.’s birthday party, they must each find a way to accept a new man in Tina’s life while reconciling their feelings for their lost loved one.

Presented through multiple points of view, Small Mercies explores the conflicts and deep attachments that exist within families. Heart-wrenching and profoundly relatable, Joyce’s debut is a love letter to Staten Island and a deeply affecting portrait of an American family.

Genres: Fiction, New York, Family, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Book Club, Contemporary

368 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2015

About the author

Eddie Joyce was born and raised on Staten Island. He attended Harvard University and Georgetown University Law Center. Before he started writing, he was a criminal defense attorney for almost ten years. He lives in Brooklyn with his family.

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Amandola family of Staten Island, mother and father Gina and Michael and three sons, Frank, Peter and the late Michael, still trying to get over his death ten years later, a firefighter, who died in the south tower during 9/11. A family that has all the problems regular families have, a family just like you and I wanting only the best for our children.

There are some books that just make you feel like you know this family, that you are part of the story and this is such a book. It is hard not to become invested in their lives, the author does such a great job at letting us know the main characters. The problems during Gail and Michal's marriage, Peter who is so very successful but puts it all at risk. Frankly who misses his brother terribly, drinks too much and just can't seem to get his life on track. I loved the intimacy of this story, the poignancy, and will now watch form the small mercies that fill my day.

[Larry H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie Joyce's Small Mercies is a beautifully written gem of a book, about an Italian-Irish family from Staten Island that has always faced challenges, but none so difficult as coping with the loss of youngest son Bobby, a firefighter who died when he was a first responder on 9/11. Even nearly 10 years later, each member of the family still has their moments of grief.

Gail Amendola, the matriarch, has tried to hold her family together any way she can. She and her husband Michael have weathered their own storms during their marriage, but they've now settled into a peaceful and happy life in their golden years. Oldest son Peter, the smart one, couldn't get out of Staten Island fast enough, and becomes a successful lawyer, yet meets his downfall in an attempt to protect "one of his own," another young lawyer from his hometown. Middle son Franky has always been the troublemaker, and he was always fiercely devoted to Bobby, and his death has sent Franky far down the wrong tracks.

As the family prepares for Bobby Jr.'s birthday party, they are forced to confront something they never expected to happen: Tina, Bobby's widow, whom he dated since they were in high school, has met a man. After nearly 10 years of widowhood, of mourning her husband and leaning on his family to help her raise their children, she's ready to move on with her life, and thinks she's found the person to help her do it. And he's not even from Staten Island.

"He was the absolute best possible version of that man, the absolute best. To try to love some lesser version of him would be the greatest insult to his memory she could imagine. If she wanted to feel love (and she was still young and wanted to love and be loved in return), she needed to meet someone who didn't feel like a cheap imitation of her dead husband."

Small Mercies focuses on a week in the life of the Amendolas, as they try to process their feelings about Tina's new man and what that means to how they continue to deal with Bobby's death. It shifts perspectives among the family members, and moves back and forth between past and present, to provide a clearer picture of the good and bad times in their lives. It's the story of anger and frustration, hurt and heartbreak, love and happiness, grief and loss, and ultimately, hope.

Eddie Joyce is an absolutely fantastic writer and he has created a flawed yet all too human family. But despite having grief as a central theme of this book, it isn't morbid or maudlin; there are certainly some parts which provoke emotions, but by and large, this is simply a powerful story of a family fighting to stay together and come apart. At times it gets a little bogged down in melodrama and predictable plot twists, but for a debut novel, this is a pretty strong and terrific read.

[Martie Nees Record · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which is a portrait of a family, a portrait of everyday life taking place in Staten Island, NY. The story reminded me of my own roots, growing up in Queens, NY in the 1960s and 1970s. Maybe a different place, but the same cultural mix, where Irish Americans and Italian Americans frequently marry and produce the most beautiful black haired blue eyed children. The author, Eddie Joyce (who is from Staten Island), writes as if the actual island is one of the characters. The Verrazano Bridge is a metaphor for the ethnic customs and class battles just as the Queensboro Bridge is for that NY borough.

In this story, an Irish girl from Brooklyn marries an Italian boy from Staten Island where they live and raise their family of three boys. The story revolves around the week leading before the birthday party of the couple’s seven-year-old grandson, the son of a firefighter, their youngest, who was a casualty of 9/11. Each member of the family has a variety of knots they must untangle before they meet the boyfriend of the widow of the firefighter. The young widow, who is very close to the family (of course, this is Staten Island), and has been a part of them since she was a teenager. She too is dealing with the changes in her life. And if one thing is clear, in this novel it is that the only constant in life is change.

The narration shifts each time a family member reminiscences about their own youth to the present day. The oldest son is the only one who leaves the borough to become a successful lawyer and marry a WASP (a foreign religion to the family), but immediately before the birthday party, we learn that his professional and marital life is crumbling. The mother’s relationship with her eldest adult son is and always was strained. “He was fourteen or fifteen. Cock of the walk…. Already entitled, not in a rich-kid way but expectant…She wanted the little prick to taste some disappointment. Strange how you can hate your own kids at times.” The middle son is an alcoholic, like his maternal grandfather and basically is the black sheep of the family who never recuperated from his brother’s death. He was “a drunken ruined memorial to his dead brother.” As a grown man he often slips into his parents’ home “drunk and melancholy, while they were sleeping, spreading one sadness over another.” His parents thought they had reached rock bottom when he was a young adult and was arrested. They realized he would never sober up with the love of the right girl, because the right girl would never date this particular son. And then real tragedy struck when death took their youngest son on 9/11. The dead firefighter is very much alive in all their memories. He was the sweet brother, everyone’s favorite. His personality was “easy as a hammock…(in his room there is still an award reading) MOST IMPROVED PLAYER, FARRELL JUNIOR VARSITY 1990–91.” For years his widow couldn’t bring herself to date because she thought, “He was the absolute best possible version of a man, the absolute best. To try to love some lesser version of him would be the greatest insult to his memory,” which is why it took her seven years to attempt to find love again.

While giving voice to six different family perspectives, the author uses flashbacks to develop well-drawn life histories. I felt as if I was going through the family photo album, flipping pages from their youth to the present day. (And when looking at her teen sons in this imaginary album I always thought of the character “Vinnie Barbarino” played by an unknown John Travolta from the 1970’s TV show “Welcome Back, Kotter”). Then I turn a page, and the present day grandmother of the seven-year-old grandson “takes a quick look in the mirror. Not for vanity, not anymore, but for its older sister: dignity.” And her husband who is shocked to see his long-dead father’s Italian “right off the boat” face in the mirror looking back at him. To bring these characters to life, the author focuses on family, community, marrying young, tradition, and participation in the NCAA basketball pool at the neighborhood watering hole with lots of booze all around. I usually felt as if I was sitting there myself sharing a pint with a neighbor while making bets. The author takes the reader through four generations of an immigrant family. My favorite author, Richard Russo, who also writes about blue-collar families, summed it up perfectly: “Eddie Joyce’s terrific first novel is so American that the story might as well have taken place at the base of the Statue of Liberty.”

However, nostalgia can be funny and play tricks with our memories. I so liked reading about a time and place when there was no need to be politically correct about, well anything, but I guess I like to forget that back in my own youth some members of my Queens community were silently hurting because anything outside the norm was simply unimaginable. In my real life, a boy in high school who is now a 60-year-old man just came out as gay. He spent his whole life lying solely because he was a tough Queens kid and gay does not fit into that mold. But in this book the reader does not need to think of such discrepancies, we only need to focus on this family’s strength and failures that are common to Staten Island (or any NYC neighborhood). There is much-noted pain in this book about an ordinary family. They weathered many storms, a husband made a wrong career move and someone else gets rich on his father’s butcher shop, a son cannot tame is addictions, a wife almost has an affair, a son dies and now another man will be raising his children. But each chapter has a “small mercy.” Joyce focuses in on how human we all are, and that sometimes a “small mercy” is just being able to enjoy a good veal parmesan sandwich. (If you enjoy this book try “The Clancys of Queens: A Memoir” by Tara Clancy).

Find all my reviews at https://books6259.wordpress.com/

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small Mercies is one hell of a debut. It takes the reader inside a Staten Island family and we are privy to their loves, sorrows, hopes, and family history.

The story centers around the Amendola family and is told in chapters from the viewpoints of different family members. All of them are mourning the death of Bobby Amendola, a fire fighter who died a hero in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Gail is Bobby's mother. She knows he is dead but still talks to him. She has never gotten over the loss of her child. As she says, "Try having to share your child's death with the rest of the world. Try having the world debate the meaning of your child's death. Try having people speak and write about your child's death vaguely, in some shapeless way, as though he were not flesh of your flesh and blood of your blood.

Gail's husband Michael is a retired fire fighter and the son of a successful butcher. After Michael retires, his father wants him to take over his butcher store but Michael can't see himself in that role. Gail is disappointed and Michael retreats for a while into alcohol and silence.

Tina is Bobby's widow, left with two small children. She is very close with Gail but things are a little awkward now because after all this time, she has finally met a man who she loves and is afraid of how the Amendolas will feel about this. She doesn't want to lose them but she wants to love and be loved.

Peter is the 'successful' son, a corporate lawyer who has made a life-wrenching mistake and may now lose his wife and children. He has left Staten Island and lives in Manhattan. No one else in the Amendola family has left 'the rock', their nickname for Staten Island. Peter is married to Lindsay and the big question is can she forgive him for what he's done.

Frankie is the lost child, the 'loser' in the family. He spends most of his time drunk, down, and broke, looking for a woman to spend the night with. He has gotten into trouble with the law and has needed Peter to bail him out.

The big event in the book is Bobby, Jr.'s birthday that is coming up. Will Tina be able to bring her new boyfriend, will the Amendolas accept him, and can Frankie come to the party sober?

The book is very well-written and I felt connected to every character. They are all fleshed out and real. This is a novel that gets to the heart of one family and all their wonders and anguish.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a well-crafted portrayal of a family rocked by a terrible loss! I loved the nuances, the snippets of memories, the ethnic pride! How quickly the reader comes to care about each of the characters and their baggage! The blue collar Irish Italian background, such an important part of the overall picture, is palpable. Vibrant, while definitely coarse at times, the author’s prose paints these flawed, likable people with bold strokes. It was not surprising to learn that he hails from Staten Island, so evident is his familiarity with the backdrop. I found myself totally immersed in this debut novel, and hoping Eddie Joyce writes another!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope to have time to review...it's very good!

[Vesna Micic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not since The Help have I read such a strong debut novel—Small Mercies grabbed me from the opening page, kept me awake till well past midnight, and inspired me to tell all my friends how great it was.

We all remember where we were when 9/11 events started unfolding, we all know key international actions that followed, but unless we were personally affected by the fall of the Twin Towers, we don’t measure our lives, before and after, by 9/11. What Small Mercies accomplishes is to bring us into one family who, ten years after, still very much lives in the shadow of the tragedy, but it also presents family dynamics, conflicts, and crises that are universal and that anybody can relate to.

One of Eddie Joyce’s accomplishments is that all of his characters are equally developed; his female leads come alive in front of you, and you get a first-row view of the trials and tribulations of Amendola men. Love in all different shapes and forms is on the stage with each of the characters, coupled with hopes and disappointments that come along. How to escape your parents’ dreams for you, forge your own story/path, create the best for your own family, and love equally your so very different kids—those are just a few of his captivating storylines.

Small Mercies explores the struggle of newcomers through a few characters—from an immigrant’s struggle to provide for his family with very limited language skills, through a next generation’s venture to more secure and respected civil jobs, to a young person’s success in a predominantly privileged, WASP-y profession and company. The accompanying motif of mentorship was one of my favourite parts from Small Mercies: what Michael incidentally finds in an Irish patriarch and how that shapes not just his own life but the lives of his children, how his son Peter gets taken in by Dominic and mentored to the highest echelons of a top litigation company, and how people ”take care of their own.”

Having 9/11 at the centre of the story demands some reflection on subsequent developments, including racial tensions, crippling hatred, and the very eloquent verdict on collective madness when underage kids are dying abroad for their country….

It’s the small mercies that life gives that sustain each of these memorable characters—they are found at the oddest but also most trying moments, sometimes when grief and pain are at their highest, but they are a testament to human resilience and life’s infinite wisdom. Family and new love is what propels us into a new day, makes us richer for the newfound appreciation of those closest to our hearts and also for new people who have joined us along the way.

After turning the last page and reading the masterful epilogue, my hope is that Small Mercies will find the readership it deserves as well as be adapted for the big screen. In any case, you should hurry up and READ IT.

[Rand]

Enjoyable as an exercise in narratology—the sort of rubbernecking that could only appeal to the reader-as-writer. Or for those die-hard emotional-masochists.

Some parts of this book are designed to make you cry. Others, cringe. There are some good lines, yes. Excellent use of dialect and tone, as well as representation of class / generational gaps in terms of technology and grief. For those of you who have not yet caught the buzz surrounding this title: it's a 9/11 story, ten years after, told in the span of one week of one family of a firefighter lost in the aftermath of that event. It's a decent story that's mostly well-told —the parts focusing on the female characters may bore those who favor dude stuff and the parts focusing on the male characters may turn off those who are unsympathetic to chauvinists. This book has something for everyone to feel ambivalent about ;)

But really the major downfall of this book is its emphasis on victimizing. I understand that this is a novel about grief, yes, but the descriptions of the thoughts/actions of one character in particular (whose section is near the end) are particularly odious and useful only as exercise in unconditional love, even for those who are fundamentally full of shit.

The final epilogue written in the second person is absolutely bril and worth reading on its own, although it means way more if you slog through all the plotty-ness up front.

My review copy was furnished courtesy of the publisher via the GoodReads First Reads Program.

[Christine - Beach Reading is the Best Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. I received it as a First Reads Giveaway, and it comes out in March 2015. I am so happy that I won this novel because I'm afraid I might not have come across it otherwise. Hopefully, it'll become a best seller and capture everyone's attention.

This was Joyce's debut novel, although he writes as if he's written 10 books before this one. He seamlessly weave's a few different character's points of view together to create his story about one family's journey dealing with the enormous grief of losing one of their own in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He wrote very relatable characters who spoke in ways people actually speak; thought things in ways people actually think. They were flawed, they had histories, they each had a story, and even if you didn't like one of them, you might know someone like him/her. While it was an "everyday" family, it was a remarkable one as well.

Joyce also regularly flips back and forth in time, writing in the past and then the present. For the majority of the book, I found the transitions to flow with ease. During the last third of it, it was a little bit more difficult to figure out the time and place. It may have been an editing issue, and eventually I was able to figure it out!

I highly recommend this read, and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie Joyce's novel is nominally about a Staten Island family who still mourns a dead brother, son and father. The fact that the man's widow has moved on and is in a serious relationship is a catalyst of memories and hurt. Bobby, the dead man, is merely a plot device to describe life on Staten Island and the working class whites who inhabit it. The book has beautiful sentences and descriptions but the characters didn't come to life for me.

[Judy Walraven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compelling novel with strong character development and an emotional connection with the family struggles.

[Judy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Viking and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

SMALL MERCIES, a powerful, absorbing, and emotional rich debut by talented Eddie Joyce, a psychological account of family, tragedy, sorrow, loss and love.

Told from different POVs, an Italian-Irish American working class multi-generational family living on Staten Island; the Amendola family. They are struggling to recover from Bobby's unexpected death, a firefighter, hero, a husband, a son, and father, in the Twin Towers on 9/11. He was one of the many first-responders who never made it out of the burning buildings.

Bobby's mother Gail; his widow Tina, his older brothers Peter, the corporate lawyer, Frankie, the black sheep and misfit, and father, Michael, have all dealt with their grief in their own ways. We hear from each character with issues and stories of their own.

From strong personalities, especially Gail, the matriarch and rock, mother (Irish Catholic) who desperately tries to hold the family together. Married into a family of Italian Catholic and all sorts of problems of families with topics of March Madness basketball, alcoholism, marriage problems, emotional baggage, infidelity, among others.

Gail’s world revolves around her family and her home. Gail continues to resent her husband and mourn her son 10 years after his death, and still talks to him. She has little relationship with her oldest son, Peter, the one who escaped to become a successful lawyer. Gail is disappointed and Michael retreats to alcohol and silence.

Michael, the husband, firefighter, like Bobby, goes to the Leaf, for drinks every night. Bobby Sr. became a firefighter like his father, Michael, who strongly resisted becoming a butcher like his own immigrant father, thus depriving his family of some security.

Peter is the 'successful' son, a corporate lawyer who has made a life-wrenching mistake and may now lose his wife and children. He has left Staten Island, and resides in Manhattan. No one else in the Amendola family has left 'the rock', their nickname for Staten Island. Peter is married to Lindsay and the big question is can she forgive him for what he's done.

Middle son Frankie, the family’s black sheep, an alcoholic who's never been the same since his brother died. He is in and out of trouble, jail, and drunk most of the time. The lost child, the 'loser' broke, and looking for the next female to bed, and someone to bail him out of trouble.

Bobby’s widow, Tina, with whom Gail is very close, has finally become involved with another man, introduced to her by Peter. She wants to bring Wade to Bobby Jr.’s birthday party without a scene and hopes they will accept her decision, as she wants to remain a part of the extended family. Tina and two children, want to find a new life and a future in order to move on.

The big event, Bobby Jr.’s birthday party. They must each find a way to accept a new man in Tina's life while reconciling their feelings for their lost loved one. A heartbreaking story, covering one week. Ten years have passed and they feel they should be getting on with their lives; however, how do you forget?

Joyce writes with sensitivity and compassion, as you feel the guilt, the doubt, suffering, sorrow, and the deep emotion from this tragedy of 9/11; from each of the respective character voices. Flashbacks and reminiscences from present to past, the author cleverly ties all pieces together with raw emotion, and different perspectives--from their humble beginnings to their all hopes and dreams.

Joyce delivers an outstanding betrayal of a flawed yet remarkable American family, with well-developed realistic characters; beautifully written, from lies to truths- a tender portrait of a grieving family, mixed with humor and honesty, and assured to capture your heart.

Looking forward to reading more from this gifted storyteller!

Judith D. Collins Must Read Books

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eddie Joyce's first novel is a tender portrait of a Staten Island family, each grieving the the loss of their son/ brother ten years after his death. The narrative flips from one character to another, taking place over the course of a few days, but is interspersed with memories. This could be confusing, but Joyce handles the transitions with grace. His characters are flawed, but likable. Joyce creates dense, rich characters, whose thoughts, actions, and emotions are very relatable. I found myself stealing moments out my day, staying up late at night to read a chapter or two more. I shed a few tears, forgetting that I was reading fiction. My one complaint is that, in my opinion, the female characters were overly-sexualized, and some of the sex scenes were a overdone for my taste. Otherwise, this would have been a five star book, a high compliment that I rarely give. Eddie Joyce's debut novel was wonderful, and I'm adding this author to my list of writers to follow. I received (a free advance uncorrected proof) of this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway. So happy I did. Thank you.

[Dolores · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Small Mercies" is a book that captures your heart and makes you feel like part of a family. It brings back memories of a book I loved many years ago, "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". The Amendolas, a working-class family on Staten Island, have been struggling to recover from youngest son Bobby's tragic death on 9/11. Now they must also accept the fact that Tina, Bobby's widow, has found a new love. The story is set during the week before Bobby Jr.'s ninth birthday party, and by the day of the party we have learned a lot about the family members.

My only problem was getting a bit confused in some of the chapters when the sections skipped back and forth in time. That may have been my fault...I was reading in the evening when I was tired. But I would highly recommend it, and will watch for future books by Eddie Joyce. I am so glad that I received this book, which was free through Goodreads First Reads.

[Penny (Literary Hoarders) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This title was included in my list of books I really wanted to read in 2015. Penguin/Viking publishers sent it to us for review. What is a story with a solid premise is terribly mired by the over use of the F-word in it's many iterations. Had this book received that controversial book cleaning app there would hardly be words left on the page. It was a distraction, poor writing and a bit silly overall You have affairs 10 years after your brother died in 9/11? Sorry. I don't sympathize with that. That's a piss poor excuse for cheating on your wife. The mother and the wife were believable in their inability to move on, but the stilted, short sentences with the lame, stilted one word conversations combined with ridiculous use of F-Bombs all over did me in. Unfortunate. I wanted to read this story. Actually I wanted to like this story.

[Michael Malone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real strong debut novel about a working class Staten Island family torn apart by a 9/11 death in the family. A decade later, the deceased family member's widow seeks to bring her new boyfriend to a family gathering, and not everyone is willing, or able, to move on. A very authentic novel--the Amendola family, an Irish-Italian hybrid, feels real, as do the Staten Island street corners, bars and characters. Each family member gets a chapter or two to offer their own perspective, and Joyce handles all the voices deftly. The title comes from a local expression suggesting that things could've been worse--that a sliver of hope is poking through the gloom. A rare read that can be fully enjoyed by different generations.

[Muhasibi · Rating 4 out of 5]

With 9/11 in the background, this first novel skillfully explores a classic Staten Island family as they deal with the death of one of their adult sons in the attack. The book doesn't focus on 9/11 per se, but more the dynamics of relationship between the surviving brothers, their parents, all their attempts to re-orient and re-build their lives, and their trust, following the tragedy

It's a very New York book in terms of the characters - but also universal in terms of what they deal with. I highty recommend this book, and look forward to his next novel.

[William Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful novel. Worked very well as an audio-read.

[Lormac · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Amendola family lives on Staten Island and has problems even though they love each other. There you go - plot summary in a nutshell (or in a f--kin' nutshell, as just about any of the characters in this book would have said).

I was born on Staten Island, and understand the world Joyce is writing about. The portions describing Staten Island are largely accurate. And the book is well-written in general. Joyce writes the story of this family in sections - all in the third person but each section watches the unfolding of the story from the perspective of a different member. Each section includes a part of the family's history which explains why that person is acting or reacting in a particular way. The stories of Michael and Gail, the parents, permit the reader to see the paths of their lives, which works particularly well. Probably anyone in the NYC area has a 9/11 chapter to their life story, but Joyce tells the story of that day in this family with painful reality.

But the plots of certain sections, or the reaction of some characters, seemed jarringly wrong. The best example is the character of Tina, who is the widow of the youngest son. Joyce does not give her much of a personality - she is a petite, foul-mouthed mother of two who works part-time at a local bank. Somehow she manages to captivate a wealthy WASP hedge fund manager from Manhattan - and because the reader sees so little of Tina, it is hard to believe that this isn't a little fairy-tale-ish. It almost feels like her new beau is slumming when he smiles as she insists that they pass up dinner at 'Per Se' for pizza and beer on Staten Island, or when she sobs her way through their first evening alone together. I think the author wants us to view this romance positively, but that's not how it comes across for me. Another example is the oldest son plot line. He is a wealthy lawyer who, for the most part, has left his family behind - attended Cornell, married a girl from Wisconsin, and lives in Westchester/Connecticut - but manages to blow it for some reason, which is not very well explained, except perhaps mid-life crisis? Hmmmm, this was another head-scratcher for me.

Finally, two last complaints - everyone sweated and everyone swore. I can believe the Amendola sons would use the f-word liberally, but it found it hard to believe how much Gail, their mother, swore. Perhaps the sweating thing was hereditary, but, wow, either these Amendolas were a sweaty bunch, or the author was just lazy.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a Manhattan girl myself and Staten Island was out there at the end of a ferry ride but really not a familiar place. Graduated from college in '63 and left the city behind, except for a few scattered visits while there were still relatives in The City. But, oh, this book brought it all back--the Italians, the Irish, the small bars and neighborhoods, the families. If you grew up in The City you have to read this book. If you don't know The City, you have to read this book to know what it was like. I was sleeping in when the Towers were hit--I always hated them, thought them ugly and an insult to the beauty of the Empire State Building that my Dad, from local 3, helped put the first radio tower on. An insult to the lacey Manhattan Bridge, on which my Grandfather worked as a ironworker. Right up there with the Verranzano, an ugly strip of highway going to some island. But, in central Vermont, my heart collapsed when a friend called to say the Towers were hit by a plane and I put on the TV, like the rest of the world and watched speechless and listened as it was revealed that this was our new Pearl Harbor, in The City, my city. One of the major thoughts that crossed my mind was how happy I was that my brother, the NYFD retiree, was safely in Florida with his family.

As you can see this book holds a great deal of relevance on many levels for me. There are others who will have the same kinds of connections but the book should be read by anyone who wants to know what living there is like and wants to know what the impact of such a horrible event has on the individuals in a family of the neighborhood. Something that no newspaper account or annual memorial can ever spell out--even for those of us who didn't lose someone in the Towers. A remarkable book filled with real people in a real City.

[Mary Lins · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Small Mercies", by Eddie Joyce, is the heartwarming and heart rending story of one week in the lives of the Amendola family of Staten Island. Gail and Michael lost their firefighter son, Bobby, on 9/11. This is the story of their Italian-Irish family and the community in which they live and work; Staten Island is almost a character in itself. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different family member which illuminates the effects of Bobby's death on each of them.

What I enjoyed the most about this well-paced novel of love and loss, was the relationships between several of the female characters and their mother-in-laws. Having once had a wonderful mother-in-law myself, and in striving to BE a good mother-in-law, I was touched and edified by the relationships depicted here.

Since each chapter explores a different family member's perspective, and the main action of the book takes place within a week, there is necessarily a lot of "flash-backs" within each narrative to bring the reader up to the present state of things. It's not often clear what time period is being described (some past experience or the present) and if can be confusing for a few minutes until the reader gets some "sign post" of where we are. This didn't mar the over-all effect of the book for me, but it might for some other readers.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Small Mercies
By
Eddie Joyce


Key characters...and what is going down with them...

It's the family...the Amendola family...half Irish and half Italian...who are the major players in this lovely yet very sad book. Gail and Michael's youngest son Bobby has been dead for a long time...ten years. His wife Tina...needs to move on. But this book is a series of chapters...vignettes almost...about the lives these people led and are still leading because Bobby died too soon. Lots of dysfunctional characters...Bobby's brothers...Peter and Franky...sort of head the list.

What I thought about this book...

Books that walk the reader through grief are always interesting to me. Each narrator has something vital to add to this narration. Bobby's mom, Bobby's dad, Bobby's wife, Bobby's kids, Bobby's brothers...everyone is still dealing with Bobby's death. I liked learning about their lives, their struggles and their successes...their failures. I love the way the author wrote this book...sort of handing off the telling of it to different characters.

Why you might want to read it, too...

I would call this book a big juicy family story. It pretty much has everything...food, wine, surly preteens, even sexy bits...it is a collage of life. If this is the kind of book you enjoy...this book would be perfect for you.

[Karin Mckercher · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't say enough about how bad this book is. I picked it up because it's the NYT Book Club selection, and I was curious about an online discussion. I won't waste my time.

I read a comment on a literature blog once by a man claiming that female authors wrote only about domestic issues. I had to look up Eddie to confirm he's a he, because this book is pretty much about domestic life but for the basketball angle. I don't know if, as a rule, it's mathematically accurate that most women write about domestic locks, but if that's a genre this author hopes to pursue, he has work.

Eddie broke the "show don't tell" rule consistently throughout. The story is told through multiple POVs and with a disjointed timeline -- it's difficult to figure out whether a passage is present or past, and the author frequently switches without warning. The multiple POVs doesn't work, because you never get to know one character well enough to have empathy.

The author writes about men in a way that felt cliche and about women in a way that was reminiscent of Playboy fantasy. The word "inauthentic" is appropriate.

The last chapter as representative of who Bobby was? Didn't even read it. To say a man -- a father and husband -- remains defined by his high school experience is patently unrealistic. But that was a constant theme.

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked the different perspectives surrounding how each member of the family dealt with the central tragedy, and loved the descriptions of NY, the culture. however, sometimes the perspectives weren't different enough because the author was writing their POV as if it were the narrator's. the most jarring example was when Franky's chapter opened with the word 'alacrity'. Franky is supposed to be the most different from the rest of them, and i don't think his character would reflect on events using words like that one. also the time-shifts were jarring and inexplicable: how many years were Bobby & Tina married? how old are their kids? what year did Michael retire? absent of dates, we're left to only figure out the time periods from cultural references. overall, it was a good novel about the disparate ways that each family member deals with the same event. (though now that i'm thinking about it, i would've loved to have chapters from Bobby Jr and Alyssa's POV)

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as part of Goodreads first reads, but this did not affect my review in any way.

Small Mercies is a tender, riveting novel about the struggles of a family turned apart by the events of September 11th. Peter, the eldest son, has always been the perfect, if reserved child. Yet, his life seems to be unraveling and he does not know how to fix it. Franky, the middle child, has completely lost is mooring in the wake of his brothers death, and struggles to make meaning of his life and reconcile with is family. Gail, the matriarch, attempts to hold the family together, all the while working through her own grief.

Set over the course of a week, Small Mercies examines the bonds forged in families, and tests these bonds in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

[Kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a new plot. An ordinary family faces tragedy and moves on (or not).

Bobby Amendola is a firefighter who dies on 9/11 in the Twin Towers and his mother, father, wife, and brothers must come to terms with this.

The Amendola's are an ordinary family who have this one extraordinarily tragic event to deal with. What I liked so much about this book is not that the family is so courageous and wonderful, but the fact that they are, well, ordinary. That they do the best the can. That they are pretty much like me and my family, although as firefighters Bobby and Michael are certainly more courageous than I am.

The book is told in an alternating POV style and skips back and forth in time, and the writing is just wonderful. Each character is carefully drawn and just comes alive. I felt for all of them and at the end I hoped that they all found happiness and peace in their lives--I thought of them as real people.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

a powerful, absorbing, and emotional rich debut by talented Eddie Joyce, a psychological account of family, tragedy, sorrow, loss and love.

Told from different POVs, an Italian-Irish American working class multi-generational family living on Staten Island; the Amendola family. They are struggling to recover from Bobby's unexpected death, a firefighter, hero, a husband, a son, and father, in the Twin Towers on 9/11. He was one of the many first-responders who never made it out of the burning buildings.

great first novel - thoroughly enjoyed the character development.

[Frank Capria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is much like the best of television’s new Golden Age we are experiencing now. The characters are vivid, complex, and well developed. The plot is less so, and the conclusion is remarkably unsatisfying. I got to know and care about these people for that? While I applaud the debut novelist for not attempting to tie up each and every loose end, a conclusion or two would have been more rewarding to the reader.

That said, I look forward to Joyce’s development as a writer. I will most definitely read his next book.

[Roxanne Meek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this book and the Amendola family! I think I might have to take the ferry to Staten Island the next time I visit NYC ❤️ A really great story to finish off 2017!