Small Mercies is set in 1974 South Boston, as the city prepares for desegregation of a local high school. Mary Pat has been a "Southie" her whole life, knowing little of life outside this Irish American community. This novel starts with vivid descriptions of the racism surrounding the issue of school desegregation, and honestly I was about to DNF for my emotional wellbeing (not because the writing was poor or thinking it was inappropriate, there was still plenty of time for the author to make a point about racism). But then, a mystery developed. 

When her teenage daughter doesn't come home one night, Mary Pat is desperate for answers and launches into a search that you'd hope your own parents would if you were missing. Unsatisfied with the response from the police, Mary Pat starts tracking down her own answers. Meanwhile a Black teenage has been lynched and his community is rightfully up in arms about the tragedy. While these events seem unconnected, they come together and we see the downfalls of racist communities and the admirable hope and resistance in Black communities. 

I enjoyed the ending and the depiction of police as flawed, which wasn't a common perception by white folks at this time in history. This book has a lot to say about power and what is truly criminal. I recommend it, while noting that there is explicit racism, drug use, and police interrogation as well as less intense content warnings in other areas.