The Mercy Journals
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 First edition cover | |
| Author | Claudia Casper |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Post-apocalyptic fiction, science fiction |
| Publisher | Arsenal Pulp Press |
Publication date | 2016 |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Media type | Print, ebook |
| Pages | 234 |
| 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.
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]
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.
