Dennis Lehane's Small Mercies may take place in Boston's Southie neighborhood in 1974 — but the topics it deals with are incredibly timely.
At once a crime novel, a deep, unflinching look at racism, and a heart-wrenching story about a mother who has lost everything, this narrative delves into life in the projects at a time when the city of Boston struggled with the desegregation of its public school system — and a lot residents were showing their worst side.
