The Mercy Journals

Last updated

The Mercy Journals
The Mercy Journals cover.jpg
First edition cover
Author Claudia Casper
LanguageEnglish
Genre Post-apocalyptic fiction, science fiction
Publisher Arsenal Pulp Press
Publication date
2016
Publication placeCanada
Media typePrint, ebook
Pages234
ISBN 9781551526331
813.6
LC Class PR9199.3.C4315 M47 2016

The Mercy Journals is a 2016 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by Canadian author Claudia Casper. The novel, set in a near-future world where the global population has been reduced after catastrophic events, was well received by critics and won the 2017 Philip K. Dick Award.

Contents

Background and publication

Casper wrote the novel as a way to explore the darker side of human nature, including genocide, and the violence carried out by primates. She drew inspiration from events in human history such as the Rwandan genocide, and from the Gombe Chimpanzee War recorded by primatologist Jane Goodall. [1]

The novel was partly inspired by a newspaper article Casper had read about Roméo Dallaire, the former commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, being found intoxicated and suicidal on a park bench in Hull, Quebec. [2] She became fascinated by the impact that witnessing genocide could have on a person, [1] and flew to Ottawa to attend talks by Dallaire, [2] who had become an advocate for people living with PTSD. [3] Casper originally planned to write a biography about him, but changed her mind after learning that he was already working on an autobiography titled Shake Hands with the Devil. Instead, Casper began writing a novel about a war veteran who struggles with PTSD related to a genocide. [2] The protagonist of the novel, a veteran named Mercy, has some traits inspired by Dallaire. [3]

Painting of Cain and Abel by Italian Renaissance artist Gioacchino Assereto Caino uccide Abele - Assereto.jpg
Painting of Cain and Abel by Italian Renaissance artist Gioacchino Assereto

Several reviewers found similarities between the relationship of Mercy and his brother Leo, and the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. [4] [5] Casper herself acknowledged these parallels, describing it as "in part, a reworking of Cain and Abel—a last murder as opposed to a first murder." [2] Early in development, the novel was titled The Last Murder as a reference to this. Casper intended for Mercy to represent Abel while Leo was a "Cain figure". While writing, she consulted the Jewish Publication Society of America Version of the text and studied the accompanying Midrash. She incorporated references to passages from Genesis into the book. [6]

The novel was published as The Mercy Journals by Arsenal Pulp Press in May 2016. [7] The book was printed on paper with roughened edges to "convey a weathered, beaten look." [1]

Synopsis

The novel takes place in 2047, after warfare, climate change, water shortages and pandemics have reduced the global population. These disasters caused a collapse of national governments, and humanity now lives under OneWorld, a global government that imposes strict rationing of all resources. Couples are not allowed to have more than one child, and even pets are forbidden because they consume resources. The story is told through the journal entries of Allen "Mercy" Quincy, a veteran of World War III with severe PTSD. The first part of the novel takes place in former Seattle where Mercy earns a meager living as a parking enforcement officer and secretly keeps pet goldfish.

Mercy begins to fall in love with a dancer named Ruby, who brings him out of his shell. He eventually confides in Ruby and tells her about his memories of a genocide against migrants on the Mexico–United States border during World War III. Their relationship dissolves after Mercy's estranged brother Leo returns and reveals that Mercy's abandoned sons are still alive. Leo says that the children may be at their family's cabin on Vancouver Island. The second part of the novel takes place when Mercy and his brother go out into the wilderness in search of them. During their time on the island, Mercy is repeatedly attacked by a mountain lion and tensions develop between the brothers.

Themes

The novel deals with themes of loss, [8] societal change and human responses to extremity and resource scarcity. [9] [10] The characters within the novel react to the societal changes caused by major upheavals in different ways, reflecting their class affiliation and age. [9] [10] Climate change and environmentalism is another major theme of the novel, which takes place after Earth's environment has been damaged. [11]

Some reviewers observed that the narrative explores dichotomies, such as the ones between hope and pessimism, mental illness and sanity, [9] and capitalist and communist ideologies. [10] Kyle Schoenfeld of Prism International wrote that "The Mercy Journals threads its way between optimism and pessimism, utopia and dystopia." [12] Leo and Mercy are portrayed as opposites; Mercy is a fundamentally decent man who is at odds with his more self-interested brother. [13]

Marble bust of Socrates Socrate du Louvre.jpg
Marble bust of Socrates

In Quill & Quire , reviewer Robert J. Wiersema noted that the novel's format as a fictional diary allowed for "emotional immediacy and directness", and "suits the material, which circles around questions of truth and memory, trust and betrayal." [14] Within the novel's narrative, Mercy engages in journaling as a way to relieve his guilt and allow him to process the trauma of his experiences. The character is inspired by the Greek philosopher Socrates' assertion that writing diminishes the mind's memory. [15] Casper decided to use the narrative device of journals after seeing a quote from Socrates' student Plato that read "writing destroys memory". [2]

Emma Morgan-Thorp, in a review for Canadian Literature, described its narrative as "a musing on a post-apocalyptic future, one man’s story of grappling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an archetypal journey into the Canadian wilderness, a family drama, a love story." [11]

Reception

The book received mostly positive reviews by critics. [16] [7] Candace Fertile of the Vancouver Sun felt that the book "work[s] on two levels: as a cautionary tale and as an examination of one man’s struggle to find meaning in life." [8] Publishers Weekly wrote that "Casper employs clear, concise prose that at a steady clip, and the exploration, through one man's account, of what it means to outlive one's purpose is tightly constructed if not especially groundbreaking." [17] Kelly McCarty of Speculative Chic gave the book a more negative review, writing that it was "a book that doesn’t know what story it wants to tell." [4]

The novel won the 2017 Philip K. Dick Award. [18] This made Casper the first Canadian woman to win the literary award. [19]

Related Research Articles

The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual Canadian literary award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman. The award was established in 1980 to honour poet Pat Lowther, who was murdered by her husband in 1975. Each winner receives an honorarium of $1000.

The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is an annual literary award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the best volume of poetry published by a first-time poet. It is presented in honour of poetry promoter Gerald Lampert. Each winner receives an honorarium of $1000.

The Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, also known as the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour or just the Leacock Medal, is an annual Canadian literary award presented for the best book of humour written in English by a Canadian writer, published or self-published in the previous year. The silver medal, designed by sculptor Emanuel Hahn, is a tribute to well-known Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock (1869–1944) and is accompanied by a cash prize of $25,000 (CAD). It is presented in the late spring or early summer each year, during a banquet ceremony in or near Leacock’s hometown of Orillia, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roméo Dallaire</span> Canadian military officer and politician (born 1946)

Roméo Antonius Dallaire is a retired Canadian politician and military officer who was a senator from Quebec from 2005 to 2014, and a lieutenant-general in the Canadian Armed Forces. He notably was the force commander of UNAMIR, the ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, and for trying to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against Tutsis. Dallaire is a Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS) and co-director of the MIGS Will to Intervene Project.

No Crystal Stair is a 1997 novel by Canadian author Mairuth Sarsfield. It is a coming-of-age story set in the Little Burgundy district of Montreal during the 1940s.

Anita Rau Badami is a Canadian writer of Indian descent.

<i>The Lion, the Fox & the Eagle</i> Book by Carol Off

The Lion, the Fox & the Eagle: A Story of Generals and Justice in Rwanda and Yugoslavia is a non-fiction book by Canadian journalist Carol Off. The hardcover edition was published in November 2000 by Random House Canada. The writing was favourably received and the book was short-listed for the Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing. With numerous interviews and extensive research behind it, the book presents biographies of three Canadians in United Nations roles in the 1990s: Roméo Dallaire, Lewis MacKenzie, and Louise Arbour.

The J.M. Abraham Poetry Award, formerly known as the Atlantic Poetry Prize, is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Atlantic Book Awards & Festival, to the best work of poetry published by a writer from the Atlantic provinces.

Michael Dennis McQuay was an American science fiction writer. His series include Mathew Swain, Ramon and Morgan, Executioner, and SuperBolan. The Book of Justice series he wrote as Jack Arnett. He also wrote the second of the Isaac Asimov's Robot City novels. His non-series novel Memories was nominated for a Philip K. Dick Award in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claudia Dey</span> Canadian writer, based out of Toronto

Claudia Dey is a Canadian writer, based out of Toronto.

Kim Echlin is a Canadian novelist, translator, editor and teacher. She has a PhD in English literature for a thesis about the translation of the Ojibway Nanabush myths. Echlin has worked for CBC Television and several universities. She currently works as a creative writing instructor at the University of Toronto School for Continuing Studies. Her 2009 novel, The Disappeared, featured on the shortlist for the 2009 Scotiabank Giller Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yann Martel</span> Canadian novelist

Yann Martel, is a Canadian author who wrote the Man Booker Prize–winning novel Life of Pi, an international bestseller published in more than 50 territories. It has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide and spent more than a year on the bestseller lists of the New York Times and The Globe and Mail, among many other best-selling lists. Life of Pi was adapted for a movie directed by Ang Lee, garnering four Oscars including Best Director and winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

Danila Botha is a Canadian author and novelist. She has published two short story collections, with a third to be published in 2024 and two novels, with the second to be published in 2025.

Claudia Casper is a Canadian writer. She is best known for her bestseller novel The Reconstruction, about a woman who constructs a life-sized model of the hominid Lucy for a museum diorama while trying to recreate herself. Her third novel, The Mercy Journals, written as the journals of a soldier suffering PTSD in the year 2047, won the 2016 Philip K. Dick Award for distinguished Science fiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esi Edugyan</span> Canadian novelist (born 1978)

Esi Edugyan is a Canadian novelist. She has twice won the Giller Prize, for her novels Half-Blood Blues (2011) and Washington Black (2018).

The Raymond Souster Award is a Canadian literary award, presented by the League of Canadian Poets to a book judged as the best work of poetry by a Canadian poet in the previous year.

Susin Nielsen is a Canadian author for children, adolescents and young adults. She received the 2012 Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature and the 2013 Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award for her young adult novel The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen, which deals with the aftermath of a school shooting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Dee Humphreys</span> Canadian author, indexer, and journalist

Jessica Dee Humphreys is a Canadian writer specializing in international humanitarian, military, and children's issues.

<i>Butter Honey Pig Bread</i> 2020 novel by Francesca Ekwuyasi

Butter Honey Pig Bread is Francesca Ekwuyasi's debut novel, published on September 3, 2020 by Arsenal Pulp Press.

Audrey Schulman is an American author of literary and speculative fiction.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Mercy Journals explores the darker side". North Shore News. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Writing to Destroy Memory". The Center for Fiction. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  3. 1 2 "Claudia Casper foreshadows environmental disaster in The Mercy Journals". CBC Radio. October 3, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "The Mercy Journals Disappoint: A Review". Speculative Chic. March 24, 2017. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. ↑ Reviews, SJardine on in; SJardine (May 22, 2016). "The Mercy Journals by Claudia Casper : Review". The Arched Doorway. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  6. ↑ Buchanan, Barbara. "Can murder become extinct?". Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Mercy Journals, by Claudia Casper | Booklist Online. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Oh, sweet Mercy: Near-future setting of The Mercy Journals accentuates gripping existential quandary". vancouversun. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 "Review of The Mercy Journals". www.forewordreviews.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "The Mercy Journals By Claudia Casper - The Rumpus.net". therumpus.net. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Meditations on Mercy". Canadian Literature. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Finding Beauty and Human Connections in the Wake of Destruction, Claudia Casper's "The Mercy Journals"". PRISM international. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  13. ↑ Community (July 12, 2017). "5 Novels of Speculative Fiction Featuring Siblings". BOOK RIOT. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  14. ↑ "The Mercy Journals - Quill and Quire". Quill and Quire - Canada's magazine of book news and reviews. May 9, 2016. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  15. ↑ Cramp, Beverly (April 19, 2017). "Mercy Journals wins big in USA". BC Booklook. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Threats multiply in the dark future of Claudia Casper's Mercy Journals". The Georgia Straight. June 15, 2016. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  17. ↑ "The Mercy Journals by Claudia Casper". www.publishersweekly.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  18. ↑ "2017 Philip K. Dick Award Winner Announced". Philip K. Dick Award. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  19. ↑ Janssens, Christy (April 27, 2017). "Claudia Casper wins Philip K. Dick Award for The Mercy Journals". CBC. Archived from the original on March 4, 2023. Retrieved March 4, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.