Hope Larson

Josey's decision to hunt for treasure in the woods of Nova Scotia in the 1850s has haunting ramifications for her twenty-first century descendant, Tara, who is trying to adjust to high school after being home schooled.

Mercury

Sarah Sammis

Mercury is Hope Larson's second graphic novel to make it to the Cybils' short list. It's two parallel stories that take place at the same home but centuries apart. The setting is French Hill, Nova Scotia, modern day and 1859.

In the present, Tara is running to the charred remains of her ancestral home. She and her mother lost everything and now her mother is miles away trying to scrape together enough money to provide her herself and her daughter.

In 1859 a grifter comes to the family home and with tales of gold. He also woos the daughter, Josephine, much to the mother's disgust.

Connecting the two stories are the house and a necklace with magical properties. What the necklace is and how it works is the central part of this multigenerational story.

The parallel story structure is tight and engrossing. I'm still not entirely a fan of Larson's artwork. The lines are heavy and the scenery is crowded. I often feel claustrophobic when I read her books. I would, though, love to see what she could do with a full color book as her covers are always so enticing.

In Mercury, Hope Larson weaves together history, romance, and magical realism in this graphic novel of how the past haunts a teenage girl's present. August 31, 5:15 PM, French Hill, Nova Scotia: A girl named Tara is running. She runs through her nice neighborhood and up a road to the burned ruins of what was once a beautiful house--her family's house. August 31, 1859, French Hill, Nova Scotia: A girl named Josey is picking blackberries with her friend Connie. As the girls gossip, a handsome stranger knocks on the door of Josey's house. His name is Asa, and with his coming, Josey's life--and later in time, Tara's as well--is about to change forever. Because there is treasure in the woods that belong to Josey's family. Gold--an untold fortune. Asa has a secret way of finding it, and his partnership with Josey's father could make them all rich. But there is darkness in the woods, and in Asa. And in the present day, Tara, Josey's descendent, is about to discover the truth about what really happened in the family's past. Eisner award winner Hope Larson weaves together history, romance, and a touch of her trademark magical realism in this remarkable graphic novel of how the past haunts a teenage girl's present.

Constance Reed

meh. It was an interesting read. And the story seemed to be going somewhere throughout, but i was left unsatisfied by the end. There was no conclusion, good or bad, anywhere in sight, at least that i could see. I heard this book is hit or miss for readers. For me, it was a miss. 

Mercury

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