On the Southern Literary Trail discussion
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The Heaven of Mercury
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Initial Impressions: The Heaven of Mercury, by Brad Watson, September 2019
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Tom, "Big Daddy"
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Aug 25, 2019 08:43AM
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I'll be reading.
I will read it also. It will be the first time that I participate in a book discussion online, about a book that is not written in my native language, so looking forward to the exchange.
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I'm in. Have my copy ready to go. Florencia, so happy you decided to join in. I am in awe of someone who can read more than one language!
I finished it last night, and think that this will be a good book for a discussion. It's not the type of book where you can just write a quick review. Very Southern Gothic.
Hope to finish the one I am working on tonight and start this tomorrow. Glad to here it has depth, Connie.
Really enjoying the book so far. I initially misjudged it as a love story (something that I don't usually enjoy as a book's main conflict), but as I keep turning the pages, I am more and more drawn. It seems to have just the perfect dose of sadness and darkness, and I am completely immersed in the book's universe (though I never been to the South or even to the US).
Sadly my local library doesn’t have this but it has Miss Jane by the same author so I am reading that. This author is new to me but so far I am really enjoying it.
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Miss Jane was pretty darn special. Enjoy Tracey.
I started this one yesterday on a short road trip. So far I like it - not as much as Miss Jane, which I loved, but it's definitely got my attention. There are lots of what seem to be little vignettes of the lives of several characters and the timeline jumps ahead quite a bit. I'm wondering if this will be the style throughout, or if we are just getting a background set up for the rest of the story... Great descriptive writing thus far!
The timeline jumps around constantly, Candi, but I didn't have any trouble with it. Lots of unusual characters to capture our attention!
So far the timeline seems easy enough for me to follow too, Connie. And yes - unusual characters for sure! Definitely seems more southern gothic than did Miss Jane!
Just starting on this one. Clever little chapter titles.
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I can't speak to Miss Jane. It's on my shelf. But I can say Watson goes full throttle Gothic in Book Two. There are secrets abounding. The reveal is worth it.
Now I'm really intrigued, Lawyer!
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I'm starting later today also :)
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Extremely satisfying. My work here is done. He says with a moderately straight face. 😁
Im trying to nudge myself into finding this on audio and trying it again. A few years back, I got through maybe 2/3 or so, put it down, and forgot where I put it. But obviously my low motivation to search the house had something to do with the reading experience, not just ditziness. I got past the fancy hotel, the oddity at a local establishment, and meh - not bad at all. Just not a lure. Anybody know if this is on audio?
This is the first time I've seen - hyphens preceding speech instead of " marks.
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It doesn't bother me Diane, just different. Can't say I've ever personally experienced this aroma:
"But inside, just one big room with a fireplace full of seething coals, the air was overly warm and smelled strong and ripe, like a squirrel just after Aunt Vish skinned it fresh in her little kitchen..."
When i was growing up in rural Mississippi we ate squirrel occasionally (almost always as squirrel and dumplings--like chicken & dumplings---one has to careful of the TINY bones). Daddy ALWAYS cleaned (gutted) and skinned them OUTSIDE on the roof of the lean-to shed which protected the pump for our well (hand dug, 60 ft. deep).
Parnell Grimes 😳 . . . appropriate last name I'm thinking. I've heard about these guys but this is my first literary close encounter.Nancy what does squirrel taste like? Any comparisons?
Oh it's been a LONG time but i suppose a bit like dark meat chicken. I don't remember for sure if my mother ever cooked squirrel. I KNOW her mother did--that set of my grandparents lived abour 100 yards down the road from our house. Until about 1967 Mo-Mo cooked on a woodstove. BTW when you cut your own wood it warms you twice.
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More memories from growing up in rural NE mississippi: i have no memory of eating possum (did eat rabbit, squirrel, venison, and lots of river catfish). One time as we were returning home from town (10 miles) the car in front of us stopped & the driver got out. As Daddy pulled out to pass he said "My God, he's picking up that dead possum." I suppose we were just a bit better off than that family and road kill was beyond the pale for us but not the family in that other car.
When I was up in Alaska there was a fresh moose roadkill. I was told local church groups had a system set up to notify volunteers who would go out and collect and butcher it up for needy families. They also did inventive things with moose poop which is surprisingly small for the size of the animal. We have too many ground squirrels out here and locals use them for target practice out on private land. Our rat terrier had one trapped in the garage the other night. A friend had one in his house and shot it. Said he didn't want to take a chance of it biting due to rabies. As far as I know, no one eats them but if there was an apocalypse no one would starve here for a while anyway ;-}
Parnell Grimes is one sick puppy.
Cathrine, also my "first literary close encounter" with one of those guys. My mother said they ate squirrel growing up and her brothers made little traps for birds (I don't know if they were pigeons or whatever wondered into the trap) when she was growing up. I've gotten bogged down in this one about 2/3rds of the way through, lost a little steam for me (just as LeAnne did) but I hope to finish.
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I've read a few reviews that reference that letdown at the 2/3rds mark. I should make it to part II by tonight. So far (p 124) not a whole lot happening but I find the characters so fascinating and enjoying it.
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I was going to pose that same question Diane. I started with long I and have switched to short as the name Phineas keeps coming to mind.One of my pet peeves is characters with uncommon names and no help with pronunciation.
Diane, I had the same thoughts about Twilight, although I read this one first! It also reminded me some of a weirder take on Crazy in Alabama. Totally gothic!I pronounce Fie-nuss that way and Avis to rhyme with Have This. There are two people in my husband’s hometown with those names, and that is how they are said there.
As for squirrels, I draw the line at frog’s legs and gator, but hubby used to hunt them with his uncle as a kid, and he’d make scrambled eggs & brains. Protein is protein, I suppose!
The Twilight character came to me as well, Diane. I say "Fen us" and long A Avis...just like the car company.
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The only reason I remember is that an older married pair twice gave my mother in law a ride to visit us (6hours one way). They introduced themselves in my kitchen, and despite the husband going on, saying, “oh Av-is could tell you stories about burnt biscuits!” and umpteen blatant pronunciations of her name, Joeys mom referred to her as A-vis repeatedly. Lol!! The stink-Eye was flying and she was utterly oblivious!
I just went on names.org and there is a male voice recorded pronunciation with a long ī as in fine-us. I never thought of Avis with a soft 'A' but with proper names who knows?
Good to know about names.org. As English is not my mother tongue my brain might occasionally "free style" with names pronunciations.I appreciate this discussion group a lot, as it helps me getting more immersed in the book's universe, and set it into context. Being an Argentinean living in Scandinavia there is very little in Southern literature that I can relate to, context wise, but I relate of course to all those universal emotions that don't have any geographical borders (love, loss, a sense of belonging to your town, etc). I actually find a very interesting connection between our tango and this literature genre; that is, a very strong nostalgic component. Towards childhood, towards the past, towards the hometown. Is this something that you would say is typical from this genre? I have just started exploring it...
You have absolutely found the heart of Southern lit, Florencia. After the South lost the Civil War there was a lot of looking back, mythologizing the past, longing for the towns that had been destroyed and speculating on what else was lost with the loss of so many young men. It became part of the Southern soul to be nostalgic and I think that element is ever present and shows up in most, if not all, Southern lit. I am so very interested in hearing your thoughts on the books we read, because of your unique and different perspective you are sure to bring to the discussion.
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Indeed. I immediately thought of Fenton Breece, the undertaker in William Gay's Twilight. A disconcerting character to say the least.
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Perfect description of what is going on with me, Diane. I thought perhaps it was because I have so much going on right now and really cannot stop to sit and read. It is holding my interest enough that I have not thought about just quitting it, but I have not been swept into the characters at all.
I finished this morning and did get bogged down at the point others have mentioned. Agree with you Diane.It's like reading a magazine or newspaper. Some interesting stories but never sucked me in like I want a book to do. I will say he finished up with some beautiful writing.
I'm in a similar situation at this more than halfway point. I like the writing more than the actual story itself. I am getting a little confused with the varying characters, and thought this was partly due to being involved in too many other books right now. But it may be due to the episodic nature of the book. I will continue though!
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I hope to finish it tonight. At the point I have reached, I guess I would say it is Finus' story, but part of what makes it less engaging is that it drops characters mid-stream and story lines as well, and it feels just a little unfinished or incomplete.
On the Southern Literary Trail
Books mentioned in this topic
Twilight (other topics)Miss Jane (other topics)
Miss Jane (other topics)
