City News
Mercy Rule by Tom Leveen
Reviewed by Hunter
Mercy Rule by Tom Leveen is a novel that details the high school experiences of several teenagers. It is written from many characters’ different points of view, but the main character is Danny, a sophomore who has recently been removed from a private school for the arts by his parents and sent to a public school. Danny has to navigate through the difficulties of high school, such as bullies and girls, while also dealing with troubles in his family life. The book also focuses on Brady, a star quarterback for the school’s football team, who has his own problems at home with a single mother and money issues. Although the two characters rarely interact, readers are able to put together the story by picking up pieces of information from each of the different characters’ narration. For example, we also read from the perspective of Donte, a teammate and friend of Brady, and Cadence, a girl who hangs out with Danny, to name a few. Also, by reading from these different perspectives, a classic “good guy” or “bad guy” is never established. For example, from Brady’s point of view, Danny is just a little jerk getting in his way, but from Danny’s point of view, Brady is just a stuck up athlete who thinks they own the school. There are justifications given on both sides, but neither is favored, leaving the reader to decide who is the real protagonist.
The novel is very good at making a reader think. Leveen never outright says anything, rather leaving it to his readers to infer and determine the truth for themselves. By writing in different perspectives, Leveen is also able to conceal important pieces of information and use them as twists later in the novel. Because of this, the book is thrilling and hard to put down. Furthermore, most of the characters are easy to relate to, despite still being interesting, which is rare in recent novels. Unlike most books, which are written from just one perspective, this one has multiple perspectives, which helps readers understand the actions and ideas of all the characters, not just one. For example, if the story had only been written from the perspective of Danny, we never would have learned about Brady’s difficult home life and just seen him as a bad guy. Also, this type of story provides a reader with many options for protagonists. When stories are written from just one character’s point of view, you are almost forced to root for that main character. However, with Mercy Rule, if you do not relate to Danny very well, then you can follow a different character more closely, and see them as the protagonist.
Mercy Rule is not without its downsides, though. Like many books about high school, it has a tendency to exaggerate certain characters to portray them in a certain way. For example, when Donte and Brady are seen in the views of other characters, they are constantly bullying other students in order to justify why they are disliked. However, when we switch back to Donte or Brady’s perspective, we never get any justification for their actions. It almost seems like they are different characters in those two instances. This could have been intentional, however, to show that people are not always as they seem. However, this just comes off as weak plot development to justify hatred of athletes. Another plot point that was weak were two characters, Vivi and Drea, who did not add much to the story. Vivi’s story is basically that she is really smart and people hate her for that, but early on she gets a boyfriend and has almost no problems for the rest of the novel. She also barely interacts with other characters in a meaningful way, outside of a single instance early in the novel. Drea has a more interesting arc, and her character’s path throughout the novel is actually beautifully done, but it just did not add much to the story. The only interaction she has with any of the other characters is near the end, which does not add much to the main story even though it ties up her personal story in an emphatic way.
Besides these two nitpicks, Mercy Rule is a powerful story about the high school experience with a thrilling storyline which is ultimately wrapped up in a powerful ending. I would recommend this book to readers aged 13 and above, due to some mature themes and language. For readers at the right age level Mercy Rule can provide a great book to anyone looking for something to read over the summer.